At least five people were killed and 17 injured when a bomb blast tore through a bus in Volgograd in southern Russia on Monday (October 21). A female suicide bomber reportedly carried out the attack.<br /><br />The bombing took place at about 2pm local time inside a packed bus with about 40 passengers onboard. Local media reported the bus was blown up by a female suicide bomber strapped with explosives. The woman allegedly was a militant leader's wife and recently adopted Islam. <br /><br />Media reported that preliminary data suggested that a hand grenade went off inside the bus and a second grenade was reportedly found and diffused. <br /><br />At least 17 people were wounded, seven of them in grave condition. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. <br /><br />According to Reuters: "Volgograd is a city of around one million people that lies 900 km (560 miles) southeast of Moscow and a few hundred kilometres north of the North Caucasus and Black Sea resort city of Sochi, where Russia will host the 2014 Winter Olympics.<br /><br />"President Vladimir Putin has staked his reputation on the Games and ordered authorities to boost security in the North Caucasus, where the Islamist insurgency is rooted in two post-Soviet wars pitting Chechen separatists against the Kremlin."
