Two people were killed and up to 20 others were wounded in three explosions on Friday which rocked Russia's southern Stavropol region, near Chechnya, the emergencies ministry said. Russian police arrested four people on suspicion of involvement in the explosions, news agencies cited the interior ministry as saying. A woman died after an explosion tore through a railway station in the town of Pyatigorsk, wounding three other people, one of whom was said to be in a serious condition. Meanwhile, another woman died and around 20 other people were wounded in two blasts which exploded just after 4:00 pm (1630 ist) at a bus station and market in the nearby town of Nevinnomysk, the same source said. A series of attacks shook Russia in August and September 1999, killing 293 people. The Russians pointed the finger at Chechen rebels, but never provided any evidence for their accusations.
The attacks prompted a major Russian military operation in Chechnya, which began on October 1 1999.
Bureau Report