India strongly condemns Moscow metro blasts

New Delhi, Mar 29 (ANI): India on Monday condemned the twin blasts which rocked Russia's Moscow Metro Rail network killing over 40 people.

In a statement issued, the External Affairs Ministry extended condolences to the families of those killed in the attack.

"The Government of India strongly condemns the bomb blasts that have taken place in the metro stations in Moscow on March 29, 2010 in which scores of innocent people have lost their lives and many more have been injured," the MEA statement said.

"The Government extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed by these acts of targeted violence," it added.

In the statement, the MEA called the international community to organize and combat terrorism unitedly.

"The Government reiterates its conviction that only collective efforts by the international community can combat the scourge of terrorism that the world is facing today," the MEA said.

The ministry also expressed solidarity with the Russian people, and the Government.

"The Government of India expresses its solidarity with the Government and the people of the Russian Federation and hopes that the perpetrators of these senseless attacks will be brought to justice," the statement said.

Earlier, in the morning, blasts at Central Lubyanka and Park Kultury stations rocked the busy Moscow metro rail network.

Moscow's metro is one of the busiest subways in the world, carrying over 5.5 million passengers a day.

Following the incident, the Russian administration expressed suspicion over the blast being suicidal in nature.

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said both explosions were believed to have been set off by female suicide bombers as the trains entered the stations.

There was a major attack on the Moscow Metro in February 2004, when at least 39 people were killed by a bomb on a packed train as it approached the Paveletskaya Metro station.

Six months later, a suicide bomber blew herself up outside a station, killing 10 people. Both attacks were blamed on Chechen rebels, who had targeted the capital in the past.(ANI)