Moldocva, October 15: A grenade explosion at a crowded concert in the Moldovan capital Chisinau has wounded at least forty people, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
The ministry said the explosion occurred close to midnight on Wednesday, during celebrations of ‘City Day’.
“According to our provisional investigation, there is no doubt that a military grenade exploded,” Interior Minister Viktor Katane told journalists, adding that a formal criminal investigation has been opened.
The explosive was an RG-42 ball grenade, according to the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS.
State security officials said the grenade had apparently been left in a box and exploded at around 11.30 Moscow time (19:30 GMT).
Ex-Soviet Moldova is Europe’s poorest country and has borders from east and west with Ukraine and Romania.
The July election victory of a pro-Western coalition committed to European integration and the defeat of the powerful communists have put the country in the grip of political instability.
—–Agencies