November 7 — the KinoPoisk.RU project launched
December 5 — at 7:42 a.m. Moscow time, an explosion occurred in the second car of suburban electric train No. 6309 running on the Kislovodsk — Mineralnye Vody route. At that moment, the train was within the city limits of Yessentuki, 400 meters from the central railway station. The explosion was so powerful that the train’s second car was torn into two parts and overturned onto its side. Dozens of people were trapped beneath burning debris. As a result of the terrorist attack, 231 people were affected: 34 died at the scene of the explosion, another 17 died from their injuries in hospitals, and 180 people sustained injuries of varying severity. Most of the passengers were students traveling to classes in Pyatigorsk that morning. It was established that the terrorist attack on the electric train in Yessentuki was carried out by a group of four people—three women and one man.
Remains of a suicide bomber who detonated the bomb were found in the car. However, the device did not fully detonate. Bomb disposal specialists who arrived at the scene destroyed its remaining parts. To increase the destructive effect, the militants placed the explosive device in a shopping bag stuffed with small nails, bolts, nuts, and pieces of wire. The prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case in connection with the explosion. Responsibility for carrying out this terrorist act was claimed by Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev.
Russian law enforcement agencies also pointed to his involvement in the explosion.
