trying to operations a room today. this is r t coming to you live from the russian capital our breaking news this hour at least thirty five people killed by a terrorist explosion at moscow's domodedovo airport the busiest in the country and around one hundred thirty others have been killed by the blast in the luggage of the international arrivals hall it's now been speculated that indeed this explosion occurred in the waiting area which is very close to the. police are saying that a suicide bomber is to blame and they're working to identify him and find out how he was able to get into the investigators are also looking for three people who they believe could be linked to the explosion russian president dmitry medvedev has

ordered extra security to put in place an all of moscow's airports and stations well despite the chaos planes are continuing to land and take off at domodedovo airport but we are receiving reports that also european flights including british airways. and obviously the flight was disrupted halfway to the destination to moscow they actually turned around and returned to their point of departure in this case british airways returned back to heathrow well the main building of domodedovo was evacuated shortly after the explosion at around four thirty pm moscow time that is one thirty pm and we're getting reports from our correspondents guests with their analysis throughout the next few hours here as we bring you the latest developments concerning our breaking news let's go live to who's at domodedovo airport so tell us what is the scene there right now. well bill of course as you can imagine security measures have been placed at the domodedovo airport when we

arrived. fire trucks. cars about all sorts of. security officers at the place we are we were not talking just about these we're also talking about a census from russia's federal security service and there are there were some special floors task on hand from the federal security service we're talking about minister of emergencies representatives sniffer dogs all sorts of all sorts of security measures that you can possibly think of were in place at the airport now it was just a couple hours ago and of course there's still of course there's still some tension in the air there as hundreds of police officers still enhanced security measures at the airport of course are unprecedented there are a long queues of the very at the at the entrances of the two main entrances to the airport people are being checked for really very thoroughly literally anything that could be suspicious is now being of course taken. the taking out of the bags right

at the entrance to the airport we're not even talking about boarding the planes we're talking about entrance to the building itself course this is a situation that's on the ground here there are still vehicles emergency vehicles arriving we see them going and coming and going are driving back and forth so obviously at the investigative committee that is working here right now there is still every trying to figure out exactly what happened basically hour by hour minute by minute in order to figure out what has happened who exactly is to blame for those horrific out terrorist act at most goes at russia's busiest airport had to be for size so this is interesting that is happening here right now but of course just when it all occurred about four thirty pm as you have said of course. all hell broke loose we talked to two stop eyewitnesses and they were saying some of those they were giving some of their brother corrected details and i believe that we can have a listen to them right know. who ended around four. pm what could.

be. better than we are right and the door. the aircraft was opened by steward. there was a guy answering the airplane saying oh we have an emergency at the airport. everybody should stay there. because from outside started. shooting right next to me got off toward the right. she actually told me she was right. from the explosion. she was not injured and he was a doctor and he started helping people injured. i own a cafe at domodedovo airport one of my colleagues was taken to hospital she's in intensive care the blast happened in the arrivals area that's the left wing of the

airport the explosion must have been very strong because our cafes about one hundred meters from the arrivals area and when we had the blast plaster started falling from the ceiling. i meant the departure zone of the gym i did about it will try to now they've just announced that the airport is working normally all the flights had to quieten on time i'm not sure about the international arrivals though airport staff don't know where they will be diverted to i came here about half an hour ago i was waiting at passport control i heard that there was a blast at the rivals area that was already a lot of smoke at the baggage claim area there were a lot of people crowded there because the escalators stopped the stuff organized emergency exit but the door was very narrow and people crowded they mediately so the stuff started breaking the walls to let the people old soon after the airport stopped receiving the arriving flights everyone left the best for control area and started leaving the baggage claim area only those who hadn't received their luggage

stayed. and of course when we arrived at the airport that very international arrivals area has been cordoned off and probably swashing everybody out of there they were not they were actually kept pushing people further and further away from it because please let us there is way too many people that this is course is also going to interfere with the way that the arrivals the arrivals people who are coming into the airport and of course as you have said as shortly after the blast the airport was evacuated but then it has resumed operation as usual when we arrived here we did see that was the first thing that we pay attention to as a matter of fact that the planes were landing and we even taking off from the airport so obviously the airport authorities are doing everything in their power in order to allow the airport to function as normally as possible in these extenuating circumstances but of course some flights have been canceled that we have seen with our own eyes. does you have said that there are some flights were turned around in midair sound which are supposed to depart has been canceled i just as far as i saw

with my own eyes at least four or five flights have been canceled just at tonight and of course all of them except for one are international flights so obviously this is something this this and this horrific tragedy is going to have very air had the ramifications for a lot of people involved i mean obviously you have to watch for thousands of people around the airport will we came in we saw that their parking lot as a matter of fact was half empty because they had to clear the area of all the cars in order to allow the emergency vehicles to come in and of course there are. they're still working on the scene of the investigation so we have yet to find out more about the details of this stuff to off the incidents up but as soon as we get them of course we'll bring them to you and in the going to go there at the scene of doma did have an airport for me a little later just to give you an idea of what it. was the largest in the russian capital is about twenty three kilometers away from the city center as you can

imagine for the emergency services at the. the time of day when the bomb went off four thirty pm moscow time it was very difficult for them to count of the traffic massive rush hour traffic here at that time of day but we've been hearing earlier that the emergency services have indeed managed to transport all those affected and injured critically by that previous earlier explosion to hospitals around the city center we'll get more details on that as we get it from our reporter ego going off is reporting from one of the hospitals so far one hundred thirty have been injured and we're getting reports that thirty five have been confirmed dead as a result of this explosion. well now we are just learning now that prime minister vladimir putin has announced that he will provide financial help to all those who've been affected by this tragedy and indeed the russian president has been holding an emergency meeting to discuss the response to the blast and he's

also delayed his trip to the world economic forum in the city of davos where he was planning to make a keynote speech well let's get details on the government's reaction to today's incident parties from barclays there in central moscow tom so tell us what did the president have to say. well first of all the latest development is with the prime minister vladimir putin he spoke to the health minister how to briefing with her and said first of all the decree will be announced announcing compensation for the victims of this bomb blast and also recommended that she go and inspect the condition of the wounded in the hospitals personally secondly president medvedev he has indeed delayed his trip planned for wednesday for the start of the davos economic summit where he was due to be a keynote speaker he has delayed that and he he has had a meeting with the prosecutor general with the russian transport ministry and with

the investigative committee the message from that meeting is first of all we have to get on and find the people who are planning this we have to be in his words hot on their heels here he's also said that those people now in hospital they are going to need medical help psychological help if even for those people without physical work he also gave his condolences to the families of those affected but just listen quickly to what he had to say. the explosion in domodedovo took. whose lives are spoken to the health minister and the emergencies minister those injured in the explosion will receive all necessary aid i express my condolences to the families of those killed extra security will be put in place in all airports roee stations and transport hubs a special investigation group will be set up to look into the incident we need to

look at what's happened in the immediate aftermath and for security on transport we've recently approved a number of laws on mat we need to check that those laws are working because what happened shows not all of those rulings are being properly applied we have to look into about the most important thing at the moment is to support the victims and their families. the all. the laws to which the president is referring there were passed after the march last year the metro bombings and the earlier bombings on the nerves express train on its words and petersburg in both cases extra laws were added to russia's anti terror legislation and as you heard there the president thinks that those laws are either not being followed properly or may need further adjustment they need to be closely scrutinized and how they work in reality needs to be looked at very closely also the mayor of moscow and

the the governor of the moscow region have also turned out in person to ride leadership on the spot and show that the government's response from the prime minister the president and the local government is rapid and shows that they are showing leadership on the ground you talk about american forces crucial that we handle this situation well talk because of course he's not long been in the post has. absolutely the you know moscow's population if you look at the march bombings last year it's not even been a year since they happened they're still very fresh in people's minds and want to get something like this how. winning at an airport which you would think would be one of the most well guarded of public places the potential for panic is quite potentially quite frightening so for the moscow mayor the local or national government to show leadership at this time it does a lot to help alleviate people's potential sense of panic of course is not just the

airport affected here there are implications throughout the whole of the russian capital what's the feeling there at the moment do you sense that an air of tension in the city at the moment there you are right there in the streets what what's it like to be in moscow at the moment. in the center of moscow there is a visibly heightened police presence especially around. near the kremlin and the that some of the central government buildings there there's a sense that there is a heightened security presence but also here in the center that this is the airport is quite a long way it does give echoes though of the to the matter of bombings back in march last year where a soon as it happened the full east presence was instantly heightens an extra vigilance is is present really throughout all of the cities major public transport hubs not just an impact here on the russian capital not just in russia itself but

of course many are saying this is a global tragedy this affects international communities we've had the president of russia speaking out what sort of reaction we've already heard a little from washington but what do you think the reaction will be from other international leaders i know it's very early days but you can hear what the president has to say what you think he's going to hear from the global community. i mean in these cases you know these these terrorist attacks it's hard to know exactly what who exactly is responsible but it seems you know some people are already asking the questions is very much seems like it could be that in these cases. the message is very much that we are all in the western world in central europe threat from nice for me attacks and we all suffer the same way and so i think the mushers condolence from across the world will be the same. thanks very much indeed for that update live in the russian capital. it's just to give you an

idea of just turning fourteen minutes past the hour nine pm here in moscow to give you an idea of the perspective of the events of the day the bomb went off at four thirty pm moscow time as one thirty pm g. went off at moscow's main airport in the waiting for well it seems to be emerging the latest developments suggest that it was the baggage area but just adjacent to it next door is the waiting area where obviously the public can greet passengers coming out through the security out of the airport to the waiting area where many taxi drivers are the latest news is that that is where a suspected suicide bomb went off killing thirty five so far and one hundred thirty injured we keeping an eye of course on those latest figures that are coming in concerning the fatalities and injuries now many passengers traveling out to domodedovo airport use the airport express train that travels from. a station here

in central moscow and artie's the france is that right now. people traveling from the airport back into the city what are they saying about what they saw. well they are expressing just absolute shock at what's happened a lot of them were very confused when it first took place they thought it was part of construction actually going on at the airport had no idea that it was actually a bomb until they saw smoke and saw the crowd sort of shift we intercepted many of them coming off the train it was actually the second load coming away from the airport after after the bombing the first load was of the injured and they were immediately taken to area hospitals battling traffic to get there people are still coming off the train you can see behind me another train has. just arrived and people are shortly going to be coming off that the military are out here checking passports just to double check to make sure that people are who they say they are

and that everything is safe out here a lot of people coming out on international flights were actually briefed on what was happening in the airplanes before the landing told just to remain calm and get to the airport as quickly as possible and then a special division of the military came out to deal with the crowds and they were put on the aero express coming out of domodedovo and for free so no one's paying to get out of the airport but just to pick just briefly before you finish what a person just intending to go. through the information of they're being given. well actually so far the trains we've been watching that have been leaving have been leaving have been leaving the station and people are running toward them hopping on them just like normal obviously they are very few and far between these trains are not packed with people but a lot of people are still hanging out there hoping to catch flights and hoping that

everything is going normally but so far information out here is not is not running . very clearly for a lot of people. from a station in central moscow thanks very much indeed for that update and of course if you're not familiar with the geography of the the russian capital that is a main station from where the arrow express train leaves the city and goes straight to port and of course bringing many passengers back from the airport some who didn't make flights or those who were of course caught up in the incident this afternoon we come to you live from the russian capital this is r.t. just to bring you up to date at the moment with the latest information main airport domodedovo has been hit by what is suspected to be a terrorist suicide bomb in the waiting for one area which is part of the arrivals complex a little earlier this afternoon three thirty pm moscow time which is one thirty pm g.m.t. many aircraft coming in from european destinations international destinations obviously

affected by this incident this is not just targeting russian nationals this is an international airport which services many many airlines something like seventy seven lines from around russia and around the world and the airport itself carries something like twenty two million passengers a year and as you can see devastating impact from what is suspected to be a suicide bomb in the waiting area domodedovo airport we're getting analysis from our correspondents who are talking to many many people around the russian capital but also we're getting analysis comments from international. and taters we're going to go now live to aviation expert chris yates who's in manchester thanks very much mr yates for joining us always good to have you here on r.t. . why do you think that blast took place in what's now been suspected as the waiting area of this airport i mean what's the significance of the timing and now the area. you know there are several things that we have to take into into context

with the story today one of those is the fact that it's always been a great fear amongst aviation security professionals around the world that airport terminals themselves could potentially be seen as the target for those who wish to do us harm and that's precisely what we've seen played out today a public area a waiting area and because of that reasonably easy access to that location for anybody who would wish to blow themselves up in what we believe is a fashion that this attack was carried out today potentially somebody walking in with a suicide vest. take their time particular moment just exploding themselves in situ within the airport terminal that is a big fear not just for moscow airports but it's

a fear that that sort of thing could happen elsewhere in the world as well i don't know if you seem to have an airport but it is an impressive it's an impressive modern airport isn't it. despite what's happening now has has russia always had a fairly good reputation in the last what five six years for its airports and its aviation services. well we can't rule out of course the dreadful attack on those two aircraft departed that airport back in two thousand and four a suicide attack we believe by black widows in that instance i visited the airport shortly thereafter to look at many of the security improvements that have been made there and yeah those security improvements were very impressive we would talk even state of the art security equipment but to protect people who were going from one side to side and then getting on board the airplanes.

does. always been the belief that we should for example move the security perimeter . further out so the end tyro to the terminal not just the side not just the planes but the entire city of that aviation. is well protected so part of the job i'm. sure that all of the appropriate monitoring of people being carried out in terms of c.c.t.v. cameras in terms of police presence and so on but quite evidently more needs to be done if this thing is going to become a regular occurrence for the airports and many airports from around the world will be learning from this as you were saying you've been to the airport many many people from the public area can be waiting very close to the facility very close to the baggage area and they've had no security checks whatsoever. the passengers coming through so this is actually an indication something that is not unique to

moscow airport is it well to moscow airports it's actually a situation we see throughout the world. absolutely you know we have seen attacks in airport terminals. from way back from the seventy's eighty's ninety's right the way through you know we've seen them take place here in europe we've seen these attacks take place in north america and so on and it's now time that we look at for example deploying new technology that can scan people coming through those checkpoints into into airports scan them very quickly to see if they have for example trace elements of explosives on their clothing which would then give an indication that this was a person that you need to pay very close attention to if it's if it's possible to do some sort of into addiction before they get to the target and can

just ask you a little earlier how to get saying look this isn't a problem for airlines this is a problem for domestic security officials but having said that you as an aviation expert what's the impact of this incident have on foreign airlines coming into russia now. well of course this is the major gateway for international airline flying into moscow it is the favored airport. one house to us to question whether because of that fact because many international visitors to russia pass through the airport. you know the question has to be whether this was primarily the target in other words targeting the economic well being of russia as well as those people who are traveling in the aviation so i just ask you are you surprised though that flights are taking off and

indeed landing at the airport just what for five hours since this incident. no not really you know there are an awful lot of people who. would need to be moved down to the airport. as prudent sensible to allow flight operations particularly departures to go. because this of course was targeted as we now know in arrivals waiting area so the airport itself the entirety of the rest of the building is not affected and therefore flight operations can resume to an extent christian very much appreciate your time here in r.t. thank you for joining us aviation expert joining us there from manchester as always good to hear you here naughty thank you one of the explosion took place in what's been established now as the waiting area usually filled with family members and taxi drivers meeting newly arrived international passengers. he's a journalist

a member of russia's council on defense and foreign policy says it's not by chance that that's part of the airport was chosen worst of all is that of course if you go through security control and don't want to hear about supply you have to pass through a state of the art security here they're actually organized. in the area which is not normally checked in any airport anywhere in the world because the waiting area where people wait for those special just were right. if memory serves well about seven or eight years ago there was a priest did you have. to check every one of the terminal. interleave that somebody looks at why you would need people. you know get checked i think the whole thing was leaked said five or six years ago. and he's

a results so you know the whole thing is very sad it's a very sad lesson all of us normal passengers use. but it's also a very slight lesson for security services and the police who i understand in this last couple of years it's maybe decided that the whole atmosphere is more lax if we compare. any major international concert with say that the security procedure proceedings at the onset of a us that actually the same thing applies with heathrow or j.f.k. or shall they go in paris it's relatively the same having sat on this last top three as the security procedure for those quotes apply have been improved. it's not just me it's be people who specialize in these things would describe the security procedure done once you have a state of the art. but of course even they made terrorist

threat that eason brusha he's of course necessary to think once again. maybe unfortunately implementing security control and security procedures at the very time in the. fall when everybody understands i am flying tomorrow crumpling out of work i wouldn't be surprised if i am told so maybe even searched but then from substratum it's about i have what i would accept you know i would accept it as a normal citizen i would accept to be explicable security arrangements given the circumstances. this is auntie can you live from the russian capital with the breaking news that

a. exploded at moscow's main airport domodedovo earlier today four thirty pm moscow time that's one thirty pm g.m.t. we're getting reports that thirty five have been killed and one hundred thirty been injured we have some mobile phone footage of the aftermath of that explosion to give you an idea of the geography it's speculated that the bomb was a suicide bomb that went off in the arrivals hall in the section where members of the public can't wait and meeting greet passengers who just got off the planes and gone through immigration security and picked up their bags from the baggage reclaim area and just through from that baggage reclaim area a large number of public can wait to meet the passengers and it's from there that it's speculated that the bomb the suicide bomb went off killing a vast number of people and injuring many many more we bring you the latest and most of the developments.