At least 20 people have been killed and 100 others woundedafter a suicide bomber blew up a truck at a local police station in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region.
Police say the bomber detonated atruck packed full of explosives in Nazran, the capital of Ingushetia. The bomb exploded at thegate of the local police headquarters just asofficers were lining up for work early Monday.
Ingushetia'sInterior Ministry Spokeswoman Marina Hajiva described the scene toRussian television speaking through an interpreter.
"Rescue workers are going [to] the site of the terrorist attack in Nazran.Investigation and fire crews are operating at the scene. Let me remindyou that at nine this morning someone drove a vehicle stuffed withexplosives through the gates of the Nazran region internal affairsbuilding. This caused an explosion and fire," Hajiva said.
Theblast also triggered a fire in a weapons room and ammunition wasdetonated. Witnesses say that the explosion could be heard throughoutthe city. The bombing is the latest in a string of deadly attacks inRussia's volatile North Caucus region.
Last week, Ingushetia'sconstruction minister was shot to death in his own office. He had beeninvestigating construction fraud throughout the region. In June,Ingushetia's president was severely wounded in a suicide car bombattack and a supreme court justice was killed after dropping herchildren off at school.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev saysMoscow will take additional measures to ensure security in the region,which borders Chechnya. Officials blame the violence on Islamicmilitants and separatist groups.
