Death toll from gas station blast in Russia's Dagestan region rises to 11

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) — The death toll from an explosion at a gas station in the city of Makhachkala, the administrative center of Russia's Dagestan region, rose to 11, the country's Emergency Situations Ministry said on Saturday.

"In Dagestan, rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia extracted another victim from the rubble," the ministry said in a statement.

Special equipment is being used to clear the rubble, while the fire that broke out after the explosion was extinguished, it said.

Following the incident, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on the possible violation of safety rules.

Dagestan authorities declared Sept. 28 a day of mourning to honor the people who died in the explosion.