Moscow  -   An explosion tore through a service station in Russia’s Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Friday, killing five people and injuring three others, the emergency situations ministry said.

“The station’s building is destroyed. The technical area and the cafeteria are burning over a surface of 500 square metres,” the ministry said on Telegram, without giving a cause.

Almost 120 rescuers were working at the scene south of Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala, it added.

In August 2023, an explosion followed by a fire at a service station in a Makhachkala suburb killed 37 people and injured 119.

Such accidents are frequent in Russia where violations of safety standards and ageing facilities often cause them.