A powerful explosion ripped through a railway station in northern Ukraine on Friday, killing four people — including the suspected attacker — and injuring at least a dozen others, authorities said.
The blast occurred during a routine document inspection on a platform at Ovruch railway station, near Ukraine’s border with Belarus, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Border Guard Service.
Deadly Blast During Border Check
Officials said the explosion was triggered by a 23-year-old man during a security check in a controlled border zone.
“The explosion was carried out by a man during a document check in a controlled border area at the Ovruch railway station,” the border service said on social media.
Three women — a border guard and two civilians — were killed instantly. The suspect, who sustained critical injuries, died later while being treated in an ambulance.
Unclear Type of Explosive
Ukrainian media outlets reported that the man detonated a grenade, though a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry told AFP that the exact type of explosive device has not yet been confirmed.
Images shared on Telegram by the border guard service showed emergency responders tending to victims sprawled across the platform, with debris scattered near a stationary train.
Suspect Had Prior Border Violation
According to officials, the man had recently been detained for attempting to cross Ukraine’s western border illegally. Authorities are now investigating whether the blast was intentional or accidental, and whether he acted alone.
The explosion marks one of the deadliest incidents at a Ukrainian transport hub since Russia’s invasion in 2022, underscoring ongoing security risks in regions bordering Belarus and Russia.
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