All news

Russian government earmarks roughly $900,000 for compensation to subway blast victims

Families of those killed will get 1 mln rubles (about $18,000 at the current exchange rate) plus money for funeral expenses

MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a directive to earmark 50 million rubles (about $900,000 at the current exchange rate) in compensation for the victims of Monday’s subway blast in St. Petersburg, the Russian government’s press service said.

"Up to 50 million rubles have been earmarked from the Russian government’s reserve fund to the government of St. Petersburg to pay out one-time allowances," the statement reads.

Families of those killed will get 1 million rubles (about $18,000 at the current exchange rate) plus money for funeral costs, citizens who sustained moderately severe or grave injuries will receive 400,000 rubles (over $7,000 at the current exchange rate), those who were slightly injured will get 200,000 rubles (about $3,500 at the current exchange rate) in compensation.

An explosive device of an unknown type went off at about 14:40 Moscow time Monday on a subway train in St. Petersburg. The Russian Investigative Committee described the blast as a terrorist attack, presumably carried out by a suicide bomber. According to the Russian Health Ministry’s latest casualty figures, the explosion left 14 people dead and 49 injured.