2 Brits Killed in Moscow Bombing
During the suicide bombing of Domodedovo Airport in Moscow on Monday, 2 men from Britain were among the 35 killed. They have now been identified as 39-year-old Gordon Cousland and 38-year-old Kirill Budrashov.
It’s emerged that Cousland was the father of a 6-month-old daughter and was due to get married at the end of April. Brother Robin told reporters that the family is devastated at the news. They are all completely shocked, he noted.
Cousland was a property analyst for CACI, a marketing, property and IT firm. He had arrived in Moscow on a business trip, and his brother says that he traveled for work a lot and was very successful. He would normally call when he arrived safely to wherever he was going, but not this time, the brother added.
His CACI colleagues said in a statement that they are deeply saddened about the loss of such a respected co-worker and friend. He had worked at the company for 3-and-a-half years, they noted, and was instrumental in setting up their business in Europe. He will be sadly missed by everyone, they added.
Bodrashov was a Russian management consultant based in London, working for executive search firm New Millennium Group, and had arrived in Moscow on a business trip as well. He was there with his 40-year-old girlfriend and colleague Elvira Muratova, whom he had a 1-year-old son with. The pair worked as a team.
It emerged yesterday that the girlfriend was forced to watch him die and phoned colleague and close friend Mark Jukes after the blast. He says that she was seriously hurt, extremely distressed and running on adrenaline. She watched him lying on the floor without movement and then being dragged away by emergency workers, he added.
Prime Minister David Cameron is giving complete support to Russian authorities in tracking down those responsible for this tragedy. The Foreign Office says that the airport is operating, but they advise passengers to check with their carrier before traveling.