There's been an explosion at a subway station in the Belarusian capital of Minsk today, and it's being reported by RIA Novosti and other news outlets with correspondents there that some people were killed.
The BBC says that the station "is near the offices of President Alexander Lukashenko." There's no word yet on the cause of the explosion.
As The Associated Press notes, "political tension in Belarus has been rising since December, when a massive demonstration against a disputed presidential election sparked a harsh crackdown by police in which more than 700 people were arrested, including seven presidential candidates. Lukashenko, who was declared the overwhelming winner of the Dec. 19 election, has run Belarus since 1994."
Update at 2:55 p.m. ET. New Estimate Puts Number Of Deaths At 11:
According to Reuters, "eleven people were killed and about 100 were injured in a metro blast in the Belarussian capital Minsk on Monday, President Alexander Lukashenko was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency."
Update at 1:45 p.m. ET. Seven Dead, 50 Wounded:
As more information comes in, numbers may change. For now, both Reuters and The Associated Press are saying that the blast killed seven people and wounded about 50 others, according to government officials.
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