Moscow Explosion at Airport Prompts Taxi Fares Up to $1,000

Vans of the Russian Emergencies Ministry wait outside Moscow's Domodedovo international airport on January 24, 2011, shortly after an explosion. A suspected suicide bombing on January 24 killed at least 35 people and wounded over 100 at the airport in an attack described by investigators as an act of terror. (Andrey Smirnov/Getty Images )

The suicide bomb attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport on Monday has caused ground transportation chaos, prompting at least some taxi drivers to charge people upwards of $1,000 to take them from the airport into the capital, Russian RBK news agency reported.

After the bomb equivalent to 11 pounds of TNT was detonated in Russia’s busiest airport, killing at least 35, the scene was chaotic. Police officials worked to evacuate the facility, clearing vehicles from in front of the terminal, as throngs of panicked passengers attempted to get away—making it hard to find a taxi.

RBK news agency reported that two drivers had agreed to take passengers to the capital for 25,000 Russian rubles and 30,000 rubles (about $1,000). The distance from the airport into the city is about 14 miles and a normal taxi fare runs at about 2,000-2,600 rubles ($67-$84).

Moscow city buses were brought in to transport people from the airport.

The bomb went off in the crowded international arrivals hall at 4:40 p.m. local time (8:40 a.m. EST). The latest news from Russian officials puts the death toll at 31 with 160 injured, according to RIA Novosti. Some of the injured are in critical condition.