Russian investigators today said that there was strong evidence of a bomb in causing the derailment of the Nevsky Express train late Friday which killed at least 26 persons and injured some 100 others, dpa reported. In further indication of a terrorism-related attack, Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the investigating committee, said that fragments as well as a crater-shaped hole of more than a meter depth were indications of a bomb. Giving a death toll of 26 - as against earlier reports of possibly at least 30 killed - he cautioned that the death toll could rise as rescue operation continued. The area had been cordoned off while law enforcement officers were conducting their work. The domestic secret service FSB estimated that the home-made explosive device had the power of 7 kilograms of TNT. The details emerged as meanwhile FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov was meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev demanded quick punishment for those behind the attack and promised quick help for relatives of the victims. The express train was carrying over 650 passengers on the busy 650-kilometre route between Moscow and St. Petersburg when four of the train"s 14 carriages were derailed. Russian state TV on Saturday broadcast the emergency call made by the train driver in which he spoke of an "explosion underneath the train." Other reports cited passengers as saying how they had heard a loud bang just before the derailment as the train was speeding along at 200 kilometres per hour.
