Tuesday morning witnessed a decline in the number of daily commuters as the city was rocked by two suicide bomber attacks on a couple of subways. Reportedly the death toll has reached 39. Sadly, only five have been successfully identified. There are over 70 victims languishing in hospitals wanting to be relieved of their pain. It was certainly a Monday of mourning for Muscovites.
It has been brought to light that two female suicide bombers strapped a belt laden woth explosives and blew themselves up. The Lubyanka station at 0756(0356 GMT) reverbrated with the loud bang and was engulfed in smoke as the bomb ripped the second carriage of a train. The second blast at Park Kultury, merely six stops away, came at 0838(0438 GMT) struck at the back of a train just as people were getting onboard. Police said that RDX was used as the explosive material and iron chippings were filled in as shrapnel.
Moscow's metro is one of the most used metros in the world - with over 5.5 million commuters taking the trains to reach their destinations each day. In the event of major blasts, the whole city has flipped over onto its belly. There is a lot of mess everywhere, just as the Police are trying their best to bring order back. Speculations are rife (and rightly so) that the North Caucasean terrorsits have a hand in the bomb blasts. It has been their trademark way of attacking soft spots with female suicide bombers and there is no reason not to believe they haven't done anything this time around.
People reluctantly left their homes to take trains to their offices, but they made sure to pay their respects to the victims of the attacks. People were seen lighting candles at the subway stations were the blasts occured and a good many had tears in their eyes. The blasts didn't just hit the subways, rather it hit the hearts of the countrymen and has brought the Kremlin controlled Parliament to scurry about in order to capture the culprits. Reports state that there is a widespread demand to bring back the Capital punishment in the country. President Medvedev has called upon judges of the Supreme court to help amend the terrorism laws.
Prime Minister Putin, who built much of his political campaign by directing a fierce war against the Chechen separatists a decade ago, has promised to track down and kill the organizers of such a 'disgusting' crime. Al Qaida affiliated websites praised the separatists attacks. One site opened a special page to recieve praises from the people for the Chechen terrosits and asks people to pray to God that the two women are accepted as martyrs.
The events have been disturbing, to say the least. There is nothing but hatred and malice in the hearts of those who have witnessed the blasts. People all over the world are praying that the originators of the attacks are caught swiftly and executed in a proper manner - The death sentence. Lets hope the turn of events awakens the law makers and brings back the capital punishment. Our hearts are with the people of Russia and we shall continue to garner support and aid for those who suffered at the hands of the Chechen terrorists. Lets pray things fall back into place and the mental wounds are healed over time. Lets pray...
