MOCOW: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday expressed confidence that Russia will deliver safe and secure Olympic Games in Sochi despite recent suicide attacks in the southern Russian city of Volgograd that left more than 30 people dead, Dispatch News Desk reported.
In a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the IOC President Thomas Bach offered his condolences over the loss of lives in terror attacks and said that he is “certain that everything will be done to ensure the security of the athletes and all the participants of the Olympic Games.”
At least 15 persons were killed and nearly two dozen others injured when a blast ripped through a trolleybus in the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Monday.
It was the second blast in two days that rocked Volgograd city. On Sunday, a deadly suicide bombing at the city’s main train station killed at least 17 persons and wounded 15 others.
There were no claims of responsibility for the explosions. However, the two blasts raised serious concerns over the security situation in Russia as these attacks took place in Volgograd which is located about 650 kilometres (400 miles) northeast of Sochi, which will host the Winter Olympics from February 7-23.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the counterterrorism agency to step up security across the country after two deadly bombings.
On the other hand, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website said that “Cynically planned on the eve of New Year celebrations, this strike is another attempt by terrorists to open an internal front, spread panic and chaos, cause inter-religious hatred and conflict in Russian society.”
