Three people died and 21 were wounded when a homemade bomb exploded at the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.
An unidentified woman attempted to bring the device into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard. The explosion killed both of them and a third bystander.
Twenty-one people were taken to Moscow hospitals with traumatic brain injuries, penetrating wounds to the body and limbs, burns, and in one case clinical death.
According to the newspaper Kommersant, the bomb had an explosive yield equivalent to roughly one kilogram of TNT and was packed with metal balls to increase its destructive effect. A source told the paper the device may have been detonated remotely.
The woman had reportedly told the guard she was delivering a box containing a gift for guests at the event. Investigators’ preliminary assessment was that she likely did not know what the package contained.
The Telegram channel 112 reported that a private wedding reception for about 50 guests was under way at the restaurant at the time of the blast. Investigators and forensic experts from Moscow’s Investigative Committee are working at the scene.
