Female suicide bomber kills 11, injures 38 in North Ossetia

The attack was fresh evidence that despite largely quelling a separatist rebellion in nearby Chechnya, Russia is struggling to contain violence in its southern regions that has fueled instability and killed thousands of people.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered police and state security agencies to tighten security and to keep him informed about the investigation, the Kremlin press service told Reuters.

"We were standing at the stop waiting for our minibus when an explosion banged nearby," Jerassa Gagloyeva, a 19-year-old student whose face was lightly singed by the shockwave, told Reuters at a local clinic.

"We were so scared we just ran away. When the initial shock passed we turned for medical assistance." Jerassa was accompanied by a friend with light burns on her face and hands.

Boris Digurov, the head doctor of a hospital in Vladikavkaz, said that two of the injured are in a very bad condition. He added that most of those hit by the blast were young people around 17-18 years old, many of whom were students at nearby universities.

The severed head of a suspected suicide bomber was found at the scene.

The North Ossetian authorities have declared that Saturday, November 8, will be a day of mourning. Security has been stepped up in North Ossetia.

The American embassy in Moscow has condemned the violence. U.S. ambassador John Beyrle expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He added that the U.S. will continue together with Russia to make every effort to destroy any terrorist groups. The U.S. is the only country so far to have reacted to the events.