4 people killed in explosion at gas station in Russia's Caucasian region of Chechnya

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Four people, including two children, were killed and five others injured in an explosion at a gas station in Russia's North Caucasian region of Chechnya on Friday, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

A gas tank exploded on Mohammed Ali Avenue, completely destroying the station, the ministry said, adding that a nearby apartment building and several cars were also damaged in the explosion.

A fire caused by the explosion spread to an area of some 900 square meters (9,688 square feet) and was quickly taken under control.

Rescuers are clearing the rubble, it noted.

"The fire has been eliminated at the moment. Unfortunately, four people died, two of them children," it said.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, said on Telegram that he was personally supervising rescue work at the station and the investigation launched by Chechnya's Attorney General Office and all other developments related to the incident.

The cause of the incident has been officially cited as "provision of services that do not meet safety requirements."