Day of mourning after Moscow metro disaster

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared today a national day of mourning after a subway train derailed in Moscow during Tuesday’s rush-hour, killing 21 people and leaving another 130 severely injured.

Investigations have ruled out a possible terrorist attack and put the blame for the accident on a power surge that caused the trains to halt.

As one survivor recounts: ‘The train came to a sudden halt. Then the electricity was cut and there was smoke everywhere. The carriage fell to one side, off the rails, so people were trapped and could not get out of the train.’

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expressed his condolences to those who lost dear ones in the accident: ‘I would like to send condolences to the relatives of the dead on behalf of those who are here and on behalf of the government in general.Undoubtedly, it is necessary to help Moscow in dealing with that serious accident.’

The Moscow metro is known as the world’s busiest.