At least 17 people were injured and thousands of passengers had to be evacuated Wednesday due to a fire in Moscow's subway during the morning rush hour, dpa reported.
The fire broke out short before 9 am (0500 GMT) in a tunnel between the Okhotny Ryad and Biblioteka Imeni Lenina (Lenin Library) stations, in the centre of the Russian capital.
Two of the injured had to be hospitalised, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing emergency ministry officials. Most of the victims suffered from smoke inhalation.
More than 4,500 passengers were evacuated from the two stations, and the halting of trains along the central subway line caused massive queues, the Interfax agency reported.
Known as the metro, Moscow's subway system is among the world's busiest.