Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=8/31/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-318628

TITLE=RUSSIA / BLAST (L)

BYLINE=BILL GASPERINI

DATELINE=MOSCOW

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: Subway Station Blast Rocks Moscow

INTRO: A car bomb exploded in Moscow Tuesday night, killing at least eight people and wounding many more. The incident comes amid heightened tension in Russia after the two crashes of Russian airliners last week that officials say were acts of terrorism. Bill Gasperini has more from Moscow.

TEXT: There were scenes of carnage and panic near a busy Moscow subway station where police say a car bomb exploded, and another car nearby quickly caught fire.

/// NAT SOUND ///

Ambulances quickly converged on the scene to help the wounded as the two cars burned brightly in a parking lot.

Television stations gave out various phone numbers asking for people to call if they have any more information about the blast.

Some witnesses say a man drove up and asked for a place to park before walking away from the car shortly before it exploded.

However security officials on the scene say they suspect the blast may have been caused by a female suicide bomber.

The explosion comes exactly a week after two Russian airliners crashed within minutes of each other, killing a total of 90 people.

Authorities say the crashes were acts of terrorism, possibly caused by suicide bombers from the breakaway region of Chechnya.

Russian troops have been battling separatist rebels there for most of the past decade.

And on Sunday there was a controversial election for president in the war-torn republic which brought a Kremlin-backed candidate to power. He replaces the previous president who was assassinated in a bomb attack last May.

It's too early to tell if Tuesday's car bombing is related to Chechnya, but authorities say it bears the hallmarks of similar incidents in the past.

In February, more than 40 people were killed in an explosion on the city's underground metro at the height of morning rush hour.

And two Chechen women detonated explosives at an outdoor rock concert near Moscow last year, killing more than a dozen people.

President Vladimir Putin has firmly ruled out any talks with the Chechens about their bid for independence, saying that the conflict there is part of the global war against international terrorism.

President Putin is currently in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi where he met with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac earlier on Tuesday. (SIGNED)

NEB/BG/MEM/RH