UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the metro blast in Minsk and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in an interview with RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
A bomb equal to 5-7 kg of TNT exploded at a busy subway station in the Belarusian capital Minsk during rush hour on Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than a hundred.
“I’m not sure about the exact motive, but the reports seem to suggest that it was an intentional explosion… This is totally unacceptable and should be strongly condemned,” he said.
“Whatever the motivations may be [behind the blast], it can never be justified to use violent means,” Ban added.
Belarusian authorities said the blast was a terrorist attack. The bomb was planted under a bench at Oktyabrskaya, the only interchange station of the capital’s subway system and the city’s busiest. It was packed with metal objects to cause maximum damage.
“I’d like to send my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. The United Nations has been working together with the member states to prevent and to stop [the use of] violent terrorist means,” the UN Secretary General said.
NEW YORK, April 12 (RIA Novosti)