Thousands of people have gathered outside a St. Petersburg subway station to commemorate the victims of a suicide bomb blast that killed 13 train passengers and wounded about 50.
Mourners gathered Thursday at the Technological Institute station for a ceremony where the names of the victims were read and the Russian national anthem played. Many participants carried white balloons that they released into the sky.
Svetlana Bagayeva says the attack “has to do with all of us; it is a terrible tragedy for the city.”
The Monday blast occurred as a subway train was between stops. The driver continued to the next station.
City governor Grigory Poltavchenko urged the crowd to bear up, saying “We are the children of a great city that never stood on its knees.”