Crackdown feared after Belarus bomb blast

BELARUS:ABOUT 50 people were injured yesterday when a bomb ripped through an outdoor concert in Belarus, the tightly controlled country which Washington calls the "last dictatorship in Europe".

President Alexander Lukashenko was at the concert but was not hurt by the blast, which his aides said did not appear to be an attempt on the life of a leader who has crushed independent media and most political opposition in Belarus.

Critics of Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled his country of 10 million people since 1994, immediately voiced fears that he could use the explosion to crack down on opponents ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

Officials said the apparently homemade device exploded in the early hours of yesterday, during a concert for Belarus's Independence Day attended by thousands of people. Another similar bomb, found later in the day, apparently failed to detonate.

Most of the injured were young people who were struck by nuts and bolts packed into the bomb.

"I heard a loud explosion and there was black smoke," said Sergey (28). "People started shouting. No one stopped the concert. They just isolated the place around the explosion and emergency vehicles began coming."

Olga (23) said her parents had to take her to hospital because not enough ambulances arrived. "I felt a shock wave and suddenly blood started coming out of my leg. A bolt had gone into my leg," she said.

Yelena Melnik (28) added: "I remember that I wanted to make a call on my mobile phone and suddenly the phone flew out of my hand. I felt a shock but no pain . . . The doctors had to take nuts out of my knee."

Three people were seriously injured in the blast, which officials blamed on "hooliganism" rather than on any political group.

After seeing several critics of Mr Lukashenko jailed, however, opposition parties warned that a new crackdown could be coming.

The liberal United Civic Party called on the authorities "to refrain from the temptation to use the incident to conduct the parliamentary election campaign under emergency conditions and to organise a crusade against political opponents".

Though reviled abroad, Mr Lukashenko has widespread support at home, particularly among elderly and rural voters who welcome his promise of order and stability. Russia remains his chief ally, despite disputes over rising fuel prices.