1st LD-Writethru: 10 people injured in St. Petersburg store explosion: Russian authorities

MOSCOW, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 people were injured on Wednesday in an explosion at a supermarket in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, the Russian authorities said.

The Russian National Anti-terrorism Committee said in a press release that its operational headquarter is coordinating the activities of emergency services, security agencies and law enforcement forces, and that measures are taken to search for those involved in committing this crime.

The incident took place at about 18:45 (15:45 GMT), when an explosive device placed in a locker went off at a supermarket in a shopping center in the northern part of the city, causing injuries and damaging the shop.

"10 people have been taken to hospitals. The wounded people's lives are not in danger," head of the Russian Investigative Committee's St. Petersburg department Alexander Klaus said.

Dozens of people were evacuated from the building after the explosion, and traffic control surrounding the crime scene was temporarily lifted, local media reported.

The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case over the incident, and an investigative team consisting of experts and officers from the committee, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the

Interior Ministry is currently working on the site of the incident, the committee said in a statement.

According to a preliminary assessment, it was an improvised explosive device stuffed with striking elements equivalent to 200 grams of TNT, a chemical compound usually used as an explosive material, the statement said. Enditem