21.02.2011, 16:13 5806

Caucasus militants killed three Russian tourists

Caucasus militants killed three Russian tourists, Kazakhstan Today reports.

Almaty. February 21. Kazakhstan Today - Caucasus militants killed three Russian tourists, Kazakhstan Today reports.

At least three tourists from Moscow have been killed by militants in Russia's North Caucasus on their way to a ski resort, investigators said Saturday, AFP reported.

A few hours after the attack on Friday evening, an explosion targeted a ski lift in one of the Elbrus mountain resort areas in Kabardino-Balkaria early Saturday, Russian agencies reported.

An official at the local emergency situations post confirmed to AFP that one of the ski lift's supports had been damaged in the blast but that "nobody was hurt".

The incidents come as mountain skiing in the North Caucasus is at its seasonal peak, and the Elbrus area attracts thousands of visitors from other parts of Russia.

The tourists were also headed for the Elbrus mountain area when they were ambushed near the village Zayukovo, according to the NTV channel. All six were from the Moscow region.

Three died on the spot and two were hospitalized, one of whom died later, NTV said referring to "unconfirmed information".

"Two people in masks armed with automatic guns in a foreign-made car forced the minibus onto the hard shoulder, asked about passengers, then opened fire on the vehicle and fled from the scene," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

The targeting of tourists could be especially worrying for Russia's authorities, who have pronounced the North Caucasus a future mountain ski haven, unveiling last year plans of a 15 billion dollar program to create five resorts.

One of the proposed resorts, Elbrus-Bezengi, would host up to 29,000 tourists per day under the plan.

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