Russian authorities have blown up the house where rebel Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed last week in a special operation, witnesses and officials said on Monday. It was unclear whether the explosion was meant as punishment for the family that allegedly gave him shelter, a safety precaution or an attempt to cover up sensitive evidence.
A bomb ripped through a commuter train near the war-wracked region of Chechnya on Friday, killing 40 people and wounding many others in what authorities described as an act of terrorism. The remains of a suspected suicide bomber were found at the site of the blast, a news agency reported.
Rescuers at a coal mine in southern Russia had hours left on Tuesday to save 13 miners believed trapped for the fifth day, as they got to within metres of the spot where they believe the men are.
Rescuers in a flooded mine in southern Russia raced against time on Monday to reach 13 men believed trapped in an airpocket with no food and air likely to run out within a day or two. Fears mounted over the fate of the 13, cut off from another group of 33 who were also trapped by the water but were rescued on Saturday.
