A rush-hour explosion at a subway station in the center of the Belarusian capital has reportedly killed at least seven people and injured dozens more.
The blast occurred at the Kastrychnitskaya (October Square) station in downtown Minsk, not far from President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's offices.
There was no immediate indication of whether the explosion was an accident or an attack.
A man who gave only his first name, Henadz, told RFE/RL's Belarus Service that he was unsure whether the explosion had struck a train or the platform.
Lukashenka has ordered an emergency meeting with officials later tonight.
'Pillars Of Fire'
An RFE/RL correspondent who was entering the subway when she heard the explosion, Valyantsina Aksak, reported seeing fire after the explosion and the subway station being pitched into darkness.
She said she saw "corpses" and people trying to help victims whose clothes were on fire.
See RFE/RL Belarus Service's live blog of authorities' and victims' responses to the blast. (Google translation here)
Aksak said there were many commuters at the station when the explosion hit, around 6 p.m. local time. She said there was general panic as people tried to figure out what had happened. "Those who were near the explosion rushed to the opposite exit and many of them were on fire," Aksak said. "I saw several people who were simply pillars of fire."
At least 12 fire engines and 10 ambulances were on the scene, according to RFE/RL's Russian Service.
State news agency Belta, quoting its own correspondent at the scene, initially confirmed that several people had been killed.
In July 2008, a bomb blast at a concert attended by Lukashenka injured about 50 people in Minsk. No arrests in the case were reported.
Tensions have been rising in Belarus since December 19, when a massive demonstration against Lukashenka's landslide reelection sparked a crackdown by police in which more than 700 people were arrested, including seven presidential candidates.
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