An explosion at Russia's bailiff headquarters in Ingushetia province, bordering Chechnya, has killed at least eight people and injured 23 others. The brick building's facade was blown away on Tuesday and its top story hung dangerously over the gutted interior.
The three-story building in Ingushetia's main city, Nazaran, serves as a headquarters of the regional bailiffs' service, Marat Prokopenkov of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's southern branch said on Tuesday.
Rescue workers recovered seven dead from the rubble of the building while another 24 were pulled out alive, but one of them - a woman working for the bailiffs - died in the hospital. Another injured person is in critical condition.
After the initial investigation, Prokopenkov said that it appeared that a gas leak caused the blast but added that terrorism could not be ruled out.
Ingushetia experiences almost daily outbreaks of violence due to militant activities, personal and business rivalries and deep-seated anger at government oppression and heavy-handed police tactics. Attacks on police checkpoints and offices by rebels are also common.
Deadly explosions of gas used for cooking and heating are common throughout Russia, which is plagued by shoddy construction and safety violations.
In the capital of Dagestan, another North Caucasus province, a bomb exploded beneath a police officer's car on Tuesday after he got behind the wheel, severing his legs and leaving him in serious condition in the hospital, police spokesman Shamil Guseinov said.