Explosions rip through apartment building and mobile phone store in Makhachkala

© Photo: the Vestnik Kavkaza correspondent video screenshot

At least six people were injured after two separate explosions ripped through an apartment building and a mobile phone store in Makhachkala, the Russian republic of Dagestan, authorities said Tuesday.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said the blasts - one inside an apartment building and another at a mobile phone shop - were caused by gas leaks.

Rescuers evacuated 150 people, while investigators launched a preliminary probe into the incident.

Health officials in Dagestan said at least two people were hospitalized in the first explosion, including a woman in critical condition.

The Makhachkala Mayor’s Office said the apartment building was listed as an illegal construction.

Less than an hour after the apartment blast, a second explosion struck a mobile phone shop, injuring four adults, according to regional health authorities.

Emergency officials said fires that broke out after the explosions were extinguished within an hour.