Blast in St. Petersburg supermarket in Russia, several injured

Moscow: At least four people were injured due to an explosion at a busy supermarket in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg on Wednesday.

The Russian media initially claimed that the explosion occurred in a storage locker at the Perekrestok supermarket in Saint Petersburg.

"According to preliminary information, an explosion of an unidentified object occurred in a store," Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. 

"At least four people have been hospitalised," she added.

Svetlana Petrenko further said the incident has been classed as an ''attempted murder'', without mentioning terrorism as a possible cause.

According to the Saint Petersburg Police, the blast occurred in a supermarket north-east of the city centre, with sources telling Russian agencies that the exploding object was traced to a storage locker.

"About 6:30 pm there was the sound of a blast. As a result, several people were been injured," the Saint Petersburg Police said, giving the incident's location.

"There was a bang. All the shoppers have been completely evacuated, and there was no fire," an Emergencies Ministry representative told Interfax, adding that police and investigators were at the scene.

Footage aired by local Russian channels showed multiple medical and police vehicles parked outside the Gigant Hall Leisure Center, where the Perekrestok Supermarket, in which the incident occurred, is located on the ground floor.

(With Agency inputs)