Deadly Double Blast Hits Dagestan Capital

A double explosion rocked two adjacent stores in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Wednesday, killing at least one person.

Several people have been injured in the explosion, according to polce authorities.

The explosion took place in Dagestan’s capital of Makhachkala on Wednesday afternoon, local police reported. Security officials are searching the area for more explosives.

The Emergencies Ministry said 13 people had been hospitalized as a result of the blasts. Three law enforcement officers were among the injured, according to local investigators.

Dagestan has been an epicenter of the Islamist insurgency in Russia’s turbulent North Caucasus in recent years, plagued with violence and regular clashes between militants and federal forces.