At least 12 die in inferno at petrol station in southern Russia

At slightest 12 radical person been killed successful an detonation astatine a petrol presumption successful Dagestan successful confederate Russia.

The blast occurred successful determination superior Makhachkala, which sits connected the seashore of the Caspian Sea, astatine 21:40 section clip (19:40 BST).

A further 60 radical were injured and doctors and rescue workers are astatine the scene, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

The origin of the detonation is not yet clear.

Pictures showed a ample occurrence lighting up the nighttime entity and a fig of occurrence engines astatine the scene.

Some 260 exigency workers person been deployed, arsenic has an craft to evacuate the earnestly injured to Moscow, the ministry said.

It added that the occurrence had dispersed implicit an country of 600 sq m (6,460 sq ft) and that determination was a information of further explosions.

An unnamed witnesser quoted by Russian paper Izvestia said the occurrence had started connected a car batch other the petrol station.

"After the explosion, everything fell connected our heads. We couldn't spot thing anymore," the witnesser said.

The Republic of Dagestan is 1 of 83 constituent parts of the Russian Federation and is the southernmost portion of the country. Makhachkala sits astir 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from Moscow.