Blast wounds 40 in Belarus city

An explosion has injured at least 40 people, several of them seriously, outside a cafe in the city of Vitebsk in eastern Belarus.

The authorities say it was caused by a home-made device packed with bits of metal, which had been planted in a flower bed.

It was the second such attack in Vitebsk in two weeks.

Police believe it was a case of gangland violence, rather than an act of terrorism.

A similar device buried in a flower bed near a bus stop went off last Thursday, injuring two people.

In the latest attack, Belarussian television said, at least six of the bomb victims were in serious condition, including some who had been hit in the head by shrapnel.