Russian officials opened a terror investigation today, saying that a homemade bomb planted on the tracks of the high-speed Moscow-to-St. Petersburg route caused a derailment that killed at least 26 and injured dozens. The head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Alexander Borotnikov, was quoted by Interfax and RIA Novosti as saying that an improvised explosive device equivalent to 15 pounds of TNT had detonated when the train passed over it last night. Remains of the device were found at the crash site, Borotnikov said.
If terrorism is confirmed, the train derailment would be Russia's deadliest terrorist strike outside the volatile North Caucasus region in years. Witness accounts appeared to back up reports of a bomb blast. "It was immensely scary. I think it was an act of terrorism because there was a bang," passenger Vitaly Rafikov told Channel One state television. The last three carriages of the 14-car Nevsky Express careered off the tracks last night as the train approached speeds of 130mph, officials said. (More russia train crash stories.)
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