Five die in Russian train explosion

At least five people were killed today when an explosion rocked a commuter train in southern Russia, officials said.

Dmitry Oliferenko, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to southern Russia, said that five people died and another 15 were wounded when two bombs exploded at both ends of the second car of the train en route from Kislovodsk to Mineralnye Vody in the Caucasus region.

There were about 50 people in the car when the explosion occurred, railway officials said.

An official investigation was started.

Russia has been rocked by continuous bomb explosions recently and other attacks which the government usually has blamed on the Chechen rebels.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the train.