Powerful blast hits south Russia, 15 killed

"The information is being updated," North Ossetia's Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Kazbek Bekmurzov told the Itar-Tass news agency.

The official said that after the explosion people began to move the dead and injured away from the scene to catch taxis and rush them to hospitals.

The scene of the explosion was sealed immediately and even police have been evacuated from the area, after law-enforcement agents saw a car, listed as stolen, at the scene. Specialists were called with sniffer dogs to probe it for explosives, the deputy minister said.

The Interfax news agency also reported that another explosive device was found near the entrance to the market.

The blast, equivalent to 25-30 kilograms of TNT, was caused by a car bomb. The car used to carry the bomb was parked near the market in Zanayev Street, a source from local police told media; Kazinform cites China Daily.

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