10 hurt in St. Petersburg mall blast

MOSCOW: A blast ripped through a supermarket in the Russian city of St Petersburg on Wednesday evening, injuring several shoppers, Russian news agencies reported.

Nobody was killed in the explosion, but at least four people were hospitalised and there were unconfirmed reports of a further 10 people being injured.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known, but Russian news agencies reported that investigators had opened a criminal case on the grounds of attempted murder.Security officials were treating the incident as a potential attempt at "mass homicide." Local media said the explosion was estimated to be caused by 200g of TNT.

According to Sputnik, the blast did not cause fire or any major damage to the building.

"At the moment the store is closed, buyers and staff have been evacuated. Special services are working at the scene. There is no more detailed information at the moment," the press service of the retail chain told Sputnik.