Hollande, Merkel Express Condolences to Putin Over St. Petersburg Attack

Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel asked Vladimir Putin to "convey the words of sincere sympathy to the families of the deceased and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured" in the Monday afternoon attack that killed 14 people.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the deadly bombing in the St. Petersburg metro, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

"Merkel and Hollande expressed deep condolences in connection with the barbarous terrorist act in the St. Petersburg metro," the Kremlin said of the phone conversation between the three leaders.

The French and German heads of state asked Putin to "convey the words of sincere sympathy to the families of the deceased and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured" in the Monday afternoon attack.

On Monday, an explosion occurred in the St. Petersburg underground on the stretch of rail between the Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologichesky Institut metro stations at around 3 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT). The blast killed at least 14 people, according to Russian Minister of Healthcare Veronika Skvortsova. Forty-nine people were wounded.

Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into a suspected terrorist attack but is also checking other versions.