Four injured in grenade explosion at Russian school

Two students and two women were injured when a grenade taken by a student to a school in southern Russia exploded, police and news reports said today.

The explosion occurred during a break between classes yesterday at the school in the southern Russian city of Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region, Alexander Ustinov, a duty officer at the regional emergency situations ministry said.

A ninth-grader, who reportedly brought the grenade to the school, was in hospital in a serious condition with shrapnel wounds, the ITAR-Tass news agency said.

Two women passing by the school were also injured and taken to hospital, the report said. Another student was treated at a first aid station.

According to police, the ninth-grader brought the grenade to school and, during the break, accidentally detonated it, the ITAR-Tass report said.

Ustinov said an investigation to establish where the student got the grenade was under way.