Bus bomb kills 8 in Russia

TOGLIATTI, Russia (Reuters) - A bomb on a bus in a south Russian city killed at least eight people and injured 50 during the morning rush hour on Wednesday in what authorities called a terrorist attack.

The blast in the car-making city of Togliatti was probably caused by a bomb hidden under the floor of the bus, local police sources were quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

Eyewitnesses described how the explosion threw bodies into the air and devastated a peaceful everyday commuting scene.

"The bus went past me. I crossed the crossroads, took a few steps and then I heard this really powerful explosion," a man who lived nearby but did not want to be named told Reuters.

"I saw people who had been thrown out onto the side of the road, I saw corpses. I myself was in a state of shock."

Television pictures showed the green crumpled frame of the bus lying on the road. In a picture taken by an emergency worker, which was obtained by Reuters, a woman could be seen sitting upright but motionless on the wrecked bus.

Other pictures showed the bloody remains of victims, with clothes ripped from bodies -- face down in the debris -- and limbs hanging through blown out windows of the devastated bus.

Apart from workers, the passengers on the bus included students travelling to a local university. Police said the blast was caused by about 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of explosives.

Prosecutors said they had opened a criminal investigation on terrorism charges.