Russia opened a probe into a suspected "act of terror" Monday after 10 people were killed and dozens more injured in a blast that rocked the Saint Petersburg metro.


Authorities shut down the metro system in Russia's second city as security services said they had also defused a bomb at a second metro station.


Russia's Investigative Committee said it was probing an "act of terror" but added it would look into all other possible causes of the blast.


Pictures screened on national television showed the door of a train carriage blown out, as bloodied bodies lay strewn on a station platform.


Above ground, emergency services vehicles rushed to the scene at the Technological Institute metro station, a key transport hub in the city centre.


Health minister Veronika Skvortsova said the blast had killed seven people on the spot, with three more succumbing to their injuries later.
Thirty nine people were hospitalised, including a 15-year-old girl, Skvortsova said

Source: NNA