A homeless Russian man lost his hand Thursday when a homemade device placed in a bag near a school exploded in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, said Russian authorities cited by local media.

The explosion came with Russia on high alert just a few days after a bomb on the busy St. Petersburg metro that killed 13 people.

At around 6:30am (0330 GMT), the man discovered a bag containing a torch and when he tried to switch it on, it exploded and tore off his hand, the TASS official news agency quoted a local policeman as saying.

Several police vehicles were dispatched to the scene as well as security services.