(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – The first victims of the St Petersburg metro explosion have been named, as investigators continue to piece together the identity of the attacker.
Monday’s blast between two stations killed 14 people and injured almost 50.
Investigators say it may have been a suicide bomb set off by a Kyrgyzstan-born man, Akbarzhon Jalilov.
Reports in Russia say one of the victims, Irina Medyantseva, died as she tried to shield her daughter from the explosion.
Ms Medyantseva, a 50-year-old doll-maker, reportedly died in an ambulance.
Her daughter Yelena, 29, was treated for her injuries in hospital and her condition is said to be stable.
Others victims include Dilbara Alieva, 20, from Azerbaijan, who was taken to hospital but later died from her injuries.
The oldest victim was Yuri Nalimov, 71, and one of the youngest was Ksenia Malyukova, 18, Russia’s investigative committee reports (in Russian).
Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry said one of its nationals, Maksim Aryshev, a 20-year-old student, had died. He was wrongly named as the bomber on social media on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan’s security service named the suspect as Akbarzhon Jalilov, who was born in the Kyrgyz city of Osh in 1995 and had obtained Russian citizenship.
His name was later confirmed by Russian investigators, who said he also planted a second bomb that did not explode.
No group has said it was behind the bombing.
