MOSCOW (AFP) — Two people died Thursday in an explosion on a popular beach in the southern Russian resort city of Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russian news agencies reported, citing local officials.
A woman and her male companion died after a bag she picked up on a beach-side road exploded shortly after 10:00 am local time (0600 GMT), Interfax news agency reported, citing unnamed witnesses.
The blast in the resort of Loo, 16 kilometres (10 miles) from central Sochi, killed two and injured three, the news agency reported, citing city administration emergency official Anatoly Scherbinin.
One victim's leg was blown off by the blast, Scherbinin said.
The beach was evacuated and investigators are trying to identify the cause, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a local emergency ministry official.
A popular holiday resort on the Black Sea coast, Sochi and its surroundings have escaped the ethnic violence that has plagued the wider north Caucasus region, particularly Chechnya, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) to the east.
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