The Prime Minister has denied reports that one of the nations last remaining terrorist cells was part of the devastating rail disaster a week ago today. Koruin Gruaman, visiting the crash site around 20 kilometres outside the city of Dubrovka shirked rumours that suggested terrorism had a part in the unfolding events. Speaking to emergency crews on the ground, who have been stationed at the site since last Thursday, Mr Gruaman said that while the events remained a tragedy, there is no understanding that this was an orchestrated disaster. But circling rumours indicate that a cell operating out of the Béspuran city of Baia, have claimed responsibility for the rail crash. The extreme fundamentalist group Khali ts’ants’i armatakanut’yuny Ketrianist, which focuses on radicalism in Polasciana, was formed in 1999 after initial peace agreements were signed by the former Communitarian Republics. The reports have been covered by local freelance news journalists who are reporting on the events in Dubrovka. The crash has been seen as the nations greatest tragedy for many years, and has struck a cord within the country itself. It is the first time that such a focus has been placed onto Polasciana‘s internal infrastructure, raising doubts about the suitability of the technology being employed by the government and its manufacturing partners.
The tragedy so far has taken the lives of nearly 60 people, while over 80 still remain unaccounted for. Family and friends of those who have died, and those who are missing gathered on the site on Sunday evening to hold a remembrance and prayer service organised by the local community. The events of last Wednesday evening have rocked the local area, a small and isolated part of the country. The state of Buratiyan is the most northern of the Polascianan states and has a fast growing population. The Prime Minister’s visit is seen as a convincing message to the families of those hurt that the disaster is one of the governments’ highest priorities and Gruaman echoed his Transport Minister’s comments that a full investigation would be launched as soon as emergency teams had finished their ‘important’ and ‘dedicated work’. He reassured the public that ‘no stone would be left unturned’ when piecing together what happened.
Local residents who report hearing a loud explosion moments before the train caught on fire said the emergency services had been swift onto the scene where the train derailed, but little had been done to calm speculation over the cause of the crash. Many residents have reported large security cordons around the area and the increased presence of specialist security services across local towns. But the government played down any speculation and suggested that this was the first response to such a tragedy for ‘a number of years’. The Khali cell last claimed responsibility for an attack in the Kamchetkan city of Munsau around 60 kilometres from the capital Karasicena in 2007. Sixty three people died in the bomb attack on a busy Sunday afternoon – nearly 20 were members of the emergency services dealing with a fire close to the explosion.
Opposition leader Gennadiy Artamova is expected to visit Dubrokva with his junior deputy Lazar Ulanov over the weekend, while President Lukyanov has suggested he will not go to the site. He did however release a statement that he planned to address the nation directly once ‘more was clear’ about the unfolding events.
