Homicide Truck Bomb Kills 20 in Russia

This was in Fox News this morning. I believe you know why prayer is important - remember these people in your prayers today and for us as we return to Russia October 5th...

Monday, August 17, 2009

NAZRAN, Russia — A homicide bomber exploded a truck at a police station in Russia's North Caucasus on Monday, killing at least 20 people and wounding about 60 others, officials said.

The bombing was the deadliest in months in the restive southern region, denting Kremlin claims that the area was stabilizing after 15 years of separatist fighting in Chechnya and violence in surrounding provinces.

The attacker rammed the gates of the Nazran city police headquarters, in Ingushetia province, and detonated his explosives as police officers were lining up for a morning check, said Svetlana Gorbakova of the regional branch of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor General's office.

Police had fired shots at the truck, but failed to stop it. The blast triggered a fire that raged for hours, destroying a weapons room where ammunition detonated.

A nearby apartment building and several office buildings were also damaged, and burned-out cars littered the street.

At least 20 people were killed, Gorbakova said, though official figures on the number of wounded varied. Gorbakova said 57 people were hurt, including 10 in critical condition. Ruslan Koloyev, the acting head of the Emergency Ministry's branch in Ingushetia, said on Rossiya television that 92 people were injured.