Lethal Suicide Bombing In Chechnya

The Russian government suspects Chechen terrorists in twin truck bombings that destroyed a Chechen government compound Friday, killing at least 46 people and injuring 70 others.

In a scene of utter devastation reminiscent of the Oklahoma City bombing, pictures coming out of Grozny showed a multi-story building with its facade completely blown off, debris surrounding the scene and the stunned and wounded wandering around in shock.

Russian authorities have been quick to point the finger of blame at Chechen separatists who have been fighting for independence.

"I think it's inevitable that the Chechens will carry their war against Russia into the European capitols. The same would apply to the United States. But it's more difficult for the Chechens to operate in the United States, whereas in Europe, they can move across frontiers, because they have networks, safe havens and so on," Professor Martin McCauley of the London University tells CBS News Correspondent Tom Fenton.

Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Tsakayev told the Interfax news agency the bombs were contained in a truck and an off-road vehicle that broke into the government compound. Tsakayev said authorities still were trying to determine the number of casualties, which he characterized as "significant."

At least 46 people were confirmed dead in the blast and 70 wounded, said Viktor Shkareda, deputy head of the Emergency Situations Ministry in southern Russia. Rescuers were finding fragments of other bodies as they scrabbled through the heaps of broken concrete and shattered glass.

The ministry said many of the wounded would be sent to other republics for treatment because the hospitals in war-ravaged Grozny could not handle the catastrophe.

The explosions hit around 2:30 p.m. local time, just after the traditional lunch break. Imran Vagapov, Chechnya's main inspector, said the building was full of employees and visitors. NTV said as many as 200 people normally worked in the building.

The larger truck exploded next to the building, while the smaller vehicle blew up in an adjacent parking lot used by government cars, ITAR-Tass said.

The explosions had the force of one ton of TNT and left a 20-foot-wide crater, Kravchenko said.

Neither the head of the Chechen administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, nor his deputy Mikhail Babich were in the building, NTV said. However, many other Chechen government workers were there.

Kadyrov, who was in Moscow, told Interfax that one of the trucks broke through three guard-post cordons surrounding the government headquarters. He said one explosion occurred inside the building, and the interior of the building was "practically destroyed."

"How could the terrorists have managed to break through three fences around the government building? The guards' actions must be investigated," Kadyrov was quoted as saying by Interfax.

He said it was useless to beef up security — including normal traffic checks — after the attack.

"How many times have we conducted these traffic checks, and to what aim? Just as before, the terrorists act as if they were masters of Grozny," he said.

Aslan Magomadov, an envoy of President Vladimir Putin, said there would be "serious questions" for the Ministry of Justice, Federal Guards Service and the Federal Security Service, Interfax reported.

It was the biggest suspected Chechen rebel attack since militants seized a Moscow theater in October, taking about 800 people hostage. All 41 attackers were killed, as were 129 hostages, all but two of whom succumbed to a knockout gas used by Russian authorities to incapacitate the assailants.

The last large attack in Grozny occurred in October, when rebels blew up a Grozny police precinct house, killing at least 25 people. Militants also exploded a passenger bus in September, killing 19 people, mostly civilians.

Russia is in the third year of its second war in the breakaway province.

The Russian government has insisted that Chechnya is returning to normal, and the military campaign there is nearly complete. But the rebels have continued unleashing small-scale attacks on Russian troops and Chechens perceived to be collaborating with them.

There also have been occasional larger explosions of military trucks, police stations and other symbols of Russian authority.

Rebels also have shot down several military helicopters this year. In one incident, at least 119 people were killed.