At least 35 people were killed in an explosion that created a huge fireball at a fuel station in Russia's remote Caucasus republic of Dagestan, spurring condolences from President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, August 15.
Images distributed by the emergencies ministry showed burnt-out cars silhouetted by the massive blaze and rescue workers in helmets attempting to put out the fire and clear rubble.
Local authorities said 35 people had died and 64 had been injured − they earlier said 80 were wounded.
The Kremlin issued a statement saying: "President Putin expresses his most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy in Dagestan and wishes a speedy recovery to the victims."
The blast was heard shortly before 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Monday, Sergei Melikov, head of the Dagestan administration, announced on social media.
The explosion in the city of Makhachkala happened at a fuel station after a fire broke out, the regional branch of the investigative committee, which probes major incidents, announced on social media.
Russia's national investigative committee later said the fire broke out in the building of a car maintenance service, after which it "spread to an adjacent room where, according to preliminary data, flammable fertilizer was stored, resulting in an explosion."
Investigators have opened a criminal case into the provision of services that failed to meet safety requirements, it said.