Volgodonsk commemorates victims of 1999 terror act

Today, on the anniversary of the terror act committed in the city of Volgodonsk in 1999, mourning ceremonies were held by townspeople to commemorate the victims of the explosion. Early in the morning, Father Cornelius, the Bishop of Volgodonsk and Salsk, delivered a mourning prayer; and city residents laid flowers, the magazine named "Delovoy Kvartal" reports.

Later, a mourning rally was held, where the participants sent 19 white balloons, symbolizing the souls of the dead, into the sky, the "Bloknot. Volgodonsk" reports.

On September 16, 1999, at 5:57 a.m., a GAZ-53 truck stuffed with explosive and parked near a nine-story apartment house went off, killing 19 and injuring 89 persons. The total number of victims reached 310 people; and 42 houses were damaged.

According to the Russian FSB (Federal Security Bureau), the explosion in Volgodonsk was one of a series of terror acts committed by the leaders of the illegal armed formation named "Kavkaz Islamic Institute".

A special public commission, consisting of rights defenders and activists of the Society "Memorial", ran its independent investigation into the explosion in Volgodonsk for several years. In summer of 2007, the commission, which, along with the official version, considered an option that the explosions were organized by Russian special services, announced that it had not enough evidence for a precise identification of the organizers of the explosions.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.