At least 11 dead in blast at Russian St. Petersburg metro

An explosion at the metro in the Russian city of St. Petersburg has caused at least 11 fatalities and another 45 injured. The city’s entire underground rail system is shut down and evacuated.  One report describes two explosions on two trains, another, separate blasts at two stations. The situation is not yet clear. The damage to trains and stations is described as catastrophic with many injured commuters lying on the platforms. The News agency Interfax cited a source as saying at least one of the blasts involved a device filled with shrapnel. President Putin, who was in the city, said that all possible causes are being examined including terrorism. The calamity in Russia’s second largest city bears all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack