Subway explosion in Chile leaves eight injured

The explosion happened around 2 p.m. at the Escuela Militar station in the upper- class neighborhood of Las Condes, said Mario Rozas, spokesman for the Chilean National Police.

Most of the injured were in a restaurant at the metro station.

The victims suffered "sound trauma, three had cuts, one had an exposed fracture and another one had a traumatic amputation of fingers." The victims were from 30 to 65 years old.

CNN Chile reported the explosive device was inside a trash bin in an open area at the metro station.

Subway service has continued operating, but trains are not stopping at the station while police and emergency services work.

The station where the explosion occurred is used daily by about 150,000 commuters.

Álvaro Elizalde, a top government spokesman, called the bombing "an act of terrorism" and said the government will invoke the antiterrorism law.

"Innocent people have been affected by this reprehensible act that deserves a decisive response. All Chileans should be united in this. The government is coordinating efforts to determine who the perpetrators [are] so that they're brought to justice," Elizalde said.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Several explosions have been set off in the Chilean capital in the past few months. Some bombings happened at banks in the middle of the night, and authorities said the motive was robbery.

In July, an explosive device left inside a subway car detonated at the Los Dominicos station, but the explosion happened at the end of the day as the train was finishing its route. The car was empty, and no one was injured.

This is the first time an explosion has been set off in a public place during the day.