3 dead, 15 injured in explosion near Moscow cafe, police say

An explosion on Saturday near a Moscow cafe killed at least three people and wounded another 15, police said, without saying what caused the blast.

“From the information we have, an explosion happened today at around 8.10pm near a summer cafe, causing three deaths and 15 injured, of varying degrees of seriousness,” Moscow police told state news agency RIA Novosti.

Investigators and police forensic specialists were on site, the statement added.

Images posted on Russian Telegram channels showed fire engines and ambulances at the site.

According to the Baza Telegram channel, the explosion was caused by a gas blast in the cafe’s kitchens.

The Italian cafe-restaurant Balzi Rossi is located in the wider city centre of the Russian capital.