Yessentuki (a city in the Stavropol territory of Russia), December 7, 2014
On December 5, 2014, at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God, “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the city of Yessentuki a memorial service was performed in commemoration of the victims of the terrorist act committed in a “Kislovodsk – Mineralnyye Vody” electric train within the city limits of Yessentuki on December 5, 2003, reports Blagoslovenny Kavkaz.
Relatives of the terrorist act’s innocent victims and survivors of the tragedy prayed at the memorial service together with the parishioners and hospital nurses.
The church rector, Archpriest Alexei Statsyuk, addressed all those present: “We must never forget them! We will remember and pray for those who died in that terrible tragedy! May the Lord grant Eternal memory to all these innocent victims!”
At 7:42 Moscow time on December 5, 2003, there was an explosion in the second coach of commuter train no. 6309 travelling from Kislovodsk to Mineralnyy Vody. The train at that moment was within the city limit of Yessentuki of the Stavropol region, 400 meters away from the central railway station.
The blast was so powerful that the second coach of the train was torn apart and overturned onto its side. Dozens of passengers were trapped under the debris. A fire broke out.
34 people died at the scene of the explosion at once and later the number of victims reached 47, including 8 children. Over 180 passengers had injuries of varying severity, mainly severe blast injuries with a great number of combined traumas.
The majority of the train victims were students commuting to their morning classes.
One of the organizers of the commuter train explosion in Mineralnyy Vody, the 43-year-old native of Chechnya Ibrahim Israpilov, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment to be served in a strict regime penal colony.
