Russian authorities have launched an investigation after a senior military officer was killed Friday after a vehicle exploded in the town of Balashikha in the Moscow region, the country’s Investigative Committee of Russia said.

Investigators said in a statement Friday that they had opened a criminal case into the death of Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik.

The committee said Moskalik was killed in the explosion of a Volkswagen Golf in the city of Balashikha following the “detonation of a homemade explosive device filled with shrapnel.”

The task force will include investigators, forensic experts and other law enforcement professionals, it said.

This is a developing story. Please check back later for further updates.