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The attack on a commuter train near the town of Yessentuki in southern Russia left at least 42 dead.

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Injuries were also widespread: at least 150 people - mostly students - were hurt.

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Such was the power of the blast that it tore the second carriage in two.

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The attack happened near Chechnya in the northern foothills of the Caucasus mountains.

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Russia's Security Service said the body of a male suicide bomber had been found in the wreckage.

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After being briefed about the bombing, a grim-looking President Vladimir Putin said it was an attempt to destabilise Russia.

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The Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov pledged to track down those responsible, saying that "the earth will burn under their feet."

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Desperate for any news, relatives of the injured tried to get through a security cordon at a local hospital.

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But many were simply paralysed by their grief.

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Later, workers began to take apart the wreckage in order to identify all the victims.