10 people have died and at least 50 are injured after an explosion rocked an underground train station in St. Petersburg, Russia.Videos posted to twitter showed the immediate aftermath of the bombing, and displayed an understated, almost eerie calm as people continued about their day.
#SaintPetersburgFootage After explosion.. pic.twitter.com/d2gBNlYEhV
— Ashutosh Nath Tiwari (@ashu2aug) April 3, 2017
More video from the train itself showed some distress, but rather than running and screaming, Russians were looking for survivors and helping others out of train cars.
?? ??? "@RT_com: UPDATE: Several people feared dead in #SaintPetersburg metro #blast https://t.co/V82KObtNMP pic.twitter.com/wHGWD9DMNQ"
— Strange Charm Q (@strange_charm_q) April 3, 2017
It remains to be seen if this act of violence was related to organized terrorism, or if it was the act of an individual. Russia's aggressive air raids in Syria may play a role in the attacks, but it remains to be seen whether this was simply a crime or a planned response. In the face of that uncertainty, the ability for bystanders to remain calm and refrain from panic in order to assist others around them lies in start contrast to the reaction one would expect, and stirs memories of London's "keep calm and carry on" mentality in the face of attack.The blast is thought to be caused by an IED. Reports of multiple explosions and additional bombs that did not detonate are currently being investigated by authorities. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has expressed his condolences to the victims' families, and has stated that Russia is looking into the cause of the attacks.