UNDERESTIMATE, MORE CASUALTIES FEARED.

Over 30 people are reported to have died in a suspected suicide bomb attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo attack on Monday afternoon, Russian health officials said.

The blast occurred at 16:40 in the arrivals section of the international airport.

Russia’s Health Ministry said 31 people died and many dozens were injured in the attack.

Airport employees broke down the wall between the main airport and the arrivals zone to allow passengers to escape the scene of destruction.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been informed about the blast.

Two planes which took off from the airport, Moscow’s busiest, were blown up by female Chechen suicide bombers in August 2004.

Terrorist attacks in the Moscow metro took the life of 39 people last March.

THREE SUSPECTS

Law enforcement sources say they have evidence of at least three men who took part in preparing the explosion.

The trio are thought to have been living in Moscow and Moscow Region for some time, Interfax reported.

The men have been declared wanted.

MORE CASUALTIES FEARED

According to eye-witness reports from the airport the initial casualty count could prove to be an under-estimate.

One witness told Vesti that people were walking around "covered in blood" and that there was smoke everywhere.

Security services sources told RIA Novosti that the same smoke was making it difficult to obtain clear information about casualties.

MOBILE SHUT DOWN

A blogger based near the airport reported that mobile phone networks in the area had been shut down.

And a law-enforcement source told Interfax that airport staff were doing everything to prevent a further bombing - including switching off phone connections.

HIGH ALERT

At Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo, Moscow's two other airports, security has been tightened. Both airports are working to a regime of heightened terrorist threat with detailed baggage checks. St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport has also announced a security alert.

Some planes for Domodedovo have been diverted to Sheremetyevo but the airport is still accepting some incoming flights.

Meanwhile across Moscow police are checking all metro and rail stations but the Aeroexpress service between the airport and Paveltsky railway station is still working as normal.

And a fleet of 60 ambulances has been sent from central Moscow to the scene of the disaster, RIA Novosti reported.

A spokesman for Moscow's healthcare services said that the city's hospitals were preparing to receive victims of the blast and within an hour the first injured were reported to be in Moscow.