Explosion Saint Petersburg: Bomb “filled with projectiles” rocks Gigant Hall shopping complex jammed with holiday shoppers, “mass homicide attempt”

Breaking… The blast ripped through the store on the ground floor of the ground floor Gigant Hall shopping complex, which is traditionally packed with shoppers in the days before the New Year celebrations.

BREAKING: Explosion injures several people as police lock down city centre

AN explosion inside a busy St Petersburg supermarket has injured 10 people and resulted in dozens more being evacuated from the area.

By Harvey Gavin, The Express, Dec 27, 2017

Emergency services arrive at St. Petersburg supermarket

At least four people have been hospitalised with injuries of “variable servity” following the blast in the Russian city this evening.

Nobody was killed in the explosion, but local media has reported up to six more people are being treated at the scene.

The Sputnik news agency has reported the Russian Investigative Committee as saying initial data shows a device stuffed with shrapnel was the likely cause of the explosion.

A statement from the committee said: “According to the preliminary assessment by explosives experts, an improvised explosive device, equivalent to 200 grams of TNT, exploded in St. Petersburg.

“The device was filled with projectiles.”

Russian media service RT has reported officials are treating the incident as a “potential mass homicide attempt”.

An explosion in a busy St Petersburg supermarket has injured 10 people

Sources are quoted as telling local media the explosion took place in a storage locker inside the supermarket.

The blast ripped through the store on the ground floor of the ground floor Gigant Hall shopping complex, which is traditionally packed with shoppers in the days before the New Year celebrations.

An official from the Emergencies Ministry told Russian news agency TASS: “There was a bang. Emergency personnel are already on the scene.

“The evacuation has been completed, and there was no fire.”

Emergency services are still on the scene after the blast earlier this evening An image posted by Russian media purports to show the damage inside the store

A statement from company which owns the store told Sputnik: ”At the moment the store is closed, buyers and staff have been evacuated.

“Special services are working at the scene.

“There is no more detailed information at the moment.”

An image posted by Russian media purports to show the damage inside the store