UPDATE [08:51 ET] St. Petersburg Governor’s press secretary reports that atleast 50 people have been injured.

President Putin was in St. Petersburg for a meeting and a speech at the time of the explosion, and it is unclear if he still plans to meet with Belarus President Alexander G. Lukashenko

On Monday TASS reported that a blast killed at least 10 at Sennaya Square metro station in St. Petersburg, Russia

(MOSCOW, RUSSIA) An explosion in the St Petersburg metro system on Monday has killed at least 10 people, according to “preliminary information,” Russian news agency TASS reported.

A Reuters witness saw eight ambulances near the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station.

Pictures of thick smoke and a damaged train car in the St. Petersburg Metro have emerged online. Witnesses say a blast occurred. There are reports of casualties.

A law enforcement source told TASS there was a blast at the Sennaya Square metro station. No official confirmation or casualty report was immediately available.

The local rescue services told TASS they were responding to the report of the smoke, but could not provide any detail.

RIA Novosti said evacuation of people from the affected area was underway.

The metro management said they received reports of an explosion inside the car, possibly of an improvised explosive device.

Photos taken near the Sennaya Ploshchad station entry showed firefighter vehicles involved in responding to the emergency.

Another agency, RIA Novosti, said there appeared to have been blasts at two metro stations.

Three metro stations have been closed, local media outlet Fontanka reported.

RT copy, TRUNEWS contribution