An explosion killed at least three people and injured fifteen others Saturday evening near a café at the foot of one of Moscow's Stalinist skyscrapers, on Kudrinskaya Square. Authorities have not yet determined the official cause of the blast.
The explosion occurred at 20:10 p.m. local time (17:10 p.m. GMT) near a summer terrace on the ground floor of one of the seven Stalinist-era skyscrapers that dominate the Russian capital. The Interior Ministry announced the death toll in a message posted on Max, the Russian social network.
Moscow police told the state news agency RIA Novosti that the 15 injured people suffered injuries of varying severity and were receiving medical treatment. Police officers, firefighters, and rescue teams were deployed to the scene, while traffic around the square was temporarily halted and the entrances to the Barrikadnaya metro station were closed.
Armed security forces have cordoned off access to the Balzi Rossi restaurant, near which the explosion occurred. Russian state television suggested a gas cylinder may have exploded, a theory echoed by the Telegram channel Baza, which reported a blast in the restaurant's kitchens. This information could not be independently verified.
The Telegram monitoring channel ASTRA, citing witnesses, reported that a birthday celebration for a general was taking place near the site of the explosion at the time. Authorities have neither confirmed nor denied this account. The investigation into the exact cause of the blast is ongoing.
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