Bomb attack in Russia kills at least four, injures more than 20

May 26, 2010, 18:00 GMT

Moscow - A bomb attack left at least four people dead and more than 20 others injured in the southern Russian city Stavropol on Wednesday, local media reported.

The explosive device detonated under a canopy at the Culture and Sport Palace in the North Caucasus city, as people were making their way to a concert by a musical ensemble from conflict-torn Chechnya.

The victims were spectators, officials were quoted as saying.

The head of the city's emergency department, Boris Skripka, did not rule out a terrorist attack.

Stavropol, with its 300,000 mostly Russian inhabitants, is not considered part of the conflict area in the North Caucasus, which otherwise has a largely Muslim population.

The attack, which occurred 15 minutes before the start of the concert, was an 'outrageous provocation,' said the governor of the Stavropol region, Valery Gajewski.

Islamist terrorists have repeatedly threatened to expand their fight for an independent 'Caucasus Emirate' to other parts of Russia. In March, 40 people died during a suicide attack in the Moscow metro.