Russian commandos storm hijacked bus

Russian Army commandos have stormed a bus that was hijacked by suspected Chechen rebels earlier today.

The Russian anti-terrorist soldiers killed one of the two gunmen in a rescue operation outside an airport in Mineralnye Vody in southern Russia.

The gunmen had been holding about 25 passengers hostage for around 12 hours, demanding the release of five Chechens who are in prison for hijacking a plane in 1994.

A spokesman for the Federal Security Service in the regional capital of Stavropol said the rescue operation began when commandos detonated two concussion grenades near the bus.

The loud explosions prompted a hijacker to stick his head out of a window and a sniper shot him dead. Several hostages were injured by flying glass. The condition of the second hijacker is unknown.