Twelve Killed in Belarus Metro Attack

The death toll rose to 12 Tuesday after a blast described as an act of terror tore through a metro station in the Belarus capital near President Alexander Lukashenko's headquarters.

"As of 2:30 local time (23:30 GMT), the number of dead reached 12 people, six of whom have been identified," the country's KGB security service said in a statement, cited by the Interfax news agency.

A total of 149 people needed medical treatment, 22 of whom are in a serious condition, and 30 of whom have injuries of medium severity, the KGB statement said.

Lukashenko had earlier put the death toll at 11 in the blast in Minsk's busiest metro station, the most serious attack in the country's post-Soviet history, named as a terror attack by prosecutors.

The blast came amid rising political tensions in the country following Lukashenko's controversial re-election last year and also a severe economic crisis that has seen the government carry out partial currency devaluation.