Explosion rocks Moscow restaurant: 3 dead, 21 injured as banquet turns into horror

The blast occurred at around 8:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Kudrinskaya Square, near the city centre.

An unidentified woman, suspected of attempting to bring the explosive device into the restaurant, was stopped by a security guard before entering the venue, Sputnik News Agency reported.

The woman was among the three people killed in the explosion.

Local media said the restaurant had been booked for a private banquet at the time of the attack.

The motive behind the explosion remains unclear.

Alexey Kuznetsov, an aide to the Russian health minister, said all necessary medical assistance was being provided to those injured, TASS reported.

Investigators and forensic specialists from Russia's Investigative Committee have been deployed to the scene and are conducting an inquiry into the incident, the agency added.

Police officers and members of Russia's National Guard (Rosgvardiya) cordoned off the area around the residential high-rise on Kudrinskaya Square where the blast occurred, according to TASS.

In recent years, several Russian military figures have been assassinated in and around Moscow. Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of being behind those attacks amid the ongoing conflict between the two countries, although Kyiv has not publicly claimed responsibility for many of the incidents.

Following Saturday's explosion, the Moscow Department of Transport announced the postponement of the city's Second Night Cycling Festival.