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Ten people injured by gunpowder ignition on tram in Dnepropetrovsk

The owner of the gunpowder is giving testimony at the local police station
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

KIEV, June 11 (Itar-Tass) —— Ten people received burns as a result of sudden gunpowder ignition on a tram in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, on Monday, June 11.

The incident occurred at about 14:30 Moscow time on a crowded tram. According to preliminary information, a man had bought an explosive mixture in a capsule for a hunting rifle. Police are investigating the causes of the gunpowder ignition, but experts say it could happen either because the bag fell or from hot air.

However witnesses say that the explosion occurred when the bag with the gunpowder had fallen on the tram floor at a turn. Ten passengers received minor burns and were taken to the nearest hospital.

The owner of the gunpowder is giving testimony at the local police station.

Earlier, several bomb blasts were reported in Dnepropetrovsk. Police say they were carried out by the same people.

Regional prosecutor Natalia Marchuk said the bomb explosions in Dnepropetrovsk in April of this year and in November of last year have been were combined into one for this reason.

In November 2011, a bomb exploded in a concrete trash can at a tram stop near the city's central department store, killing a passerby, a 27-year-old man.

On April 27, 2012, four explosions occurred in the city, injuring 31 people. One of them is still in hospital. All homemade bombs were placed in concrete trash cans in the streets.

Two weeks ago, police detained four suspects. A district court in Dneptropetrovsk ordered them to be taken into custody.

The court ruled so at the insistence of the regional prosecutor's office.

The regional prosecutor said they had confessed to their crime.

The masterminds of the bomb blasts contacted law enforcement agencies themselves, Ukrainian Security Service chief Igor Kalinin said.

“Messages from the perpetrators came via the Internet. They demanded that 4.5 million U.S. dollars be transferred to their bank card. Otherwise, they threatened to organise new explosions,” he said.

Kalinin said the suspects were allowed to withdraw only a small amount of money.