Three dead and 15 injured as bomb blows up restaurant in Moscow

Three people died in a deliberate bomb explosion at a Moscow restaurant, according to Russian state media, citing local officials.

At least 15 people were injured in the explosion, as investigators, forensic experts, and emergency services were working at the scene, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

An unidentified woman attempted to carry the explosive device into the restaurant and died in the blast along with a security guard and a patron, the news agency said.

The incident happened at around 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Kudrinskaya Square near the city center.

“The Interior Ministry’s Moscow branch is working at the site of the incident. According to available information, an explosion occurred near a summer cafe at about 08:10 p.m. (05:10 p.m. GMT) today, as a result of which three people were killed and 15 were injured in various degrees of severity,” an Interior Ministry official said, according to Russian News Agency.

“In connection with the incident that occurred in the building on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, investigators and criminologists from the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Moscow are working on the site. An inspection of the site is currently underway,” it said in a statement.