According to him, the train driver opened doors, and the passengers, at least those who were in the first carriage, got off the train into the tunnel, and most of them moved through the tunnel towards the Paveletskaya station. He said it was impossible to return to the Avtozavodskaya metro station because the area was filled with smoke.

When they were in the middle of the tunnel, the passengers met the first teams of rescuers.

Another passenger, who traveled in the fourth carriage, said: “When an explosion happened in the second carriage, we realized that the passengers had almost no chance to survive, so powerful was the blast.” In his opinion, the number of casualties would have been much higher, also in other carriages, had the train traveled in the opposite direction, not from the Avtozavodskaya to the Paveletskaya station, where most of passengers get off, and had it been not so packed.

The explosion happened at the height of rush hour, at about 8:30 Moscow time. The train was leaving the Avtozavodskaya metro station and entering a tunnel when the blast occurred. According to preliminary reports, about 30 people were killed in the explosion and 150 people were injured, most of them with burns and fractures. About 1000 metro passengers have been evacuated, officials of Moscow’s Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Department told RBC.

The evacuation of passengers has been completed, and the rescuers of the Emergency Ministry and investigators continue their work. The Vulkan-5 security plan has been adopted, officials in Moscow’s Main Interior Department told RBC. Under this plan, all Interior Departments in the city will have a more intense work schedule, the number of patrols will be increased in Moscow, and additional measures will be taken to ensure the security of vital infrastructure.