Two blasts occurred almost simultaneously near telecommunications masts in two Chechen districts, Staropromyslovsky and Groznensky, late on Saturday night, a source in Chechen law enforcement services told Interfax. The blasts occurred in infrastructure vans. Although no casualties were reported, a man was killed and another injured in an explosion in the Staropromyslovsky district about the same time, the source added. | “The man was killed, when an explosive device he was carrying went off, reports said.” |
Officials downplayed the incidents, saying the blasts must have been caused by overheated gas containers. “The incidents were definitely not linked to any terror attacks,” Col. Akhmed Dakayev, the Chechen Interior Ministry’s headquarters chief, told Interfax. “The gas containers blew up in infrastructure vans due to overheating,” he said.