Moscow, 13 September 1999 (RFE/RL) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says an explosion which destroyed an apartment building in Moscow overnight, killing at least 30 people, was a "clear terrorist act." The blast ripped through the eight-story apartment building in the southern part of the Russian capital in the early hours of the day. The death toll was expected to rise as the building was completely destroyed. Putin said the response to the terrorists must be "super-tough." Russian news agencies said Putin had cut short a trip to Auckland, New Zealand, where he has been attending a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and was returning home. The Kremlin said President Boris Yeltsin would chair an emergency meeting of top officials to discuss the latest Moscow blast.