A terrorist blast in the town of Makhachkala, capital of Dagestan region in southern Russia, killed10 soldiers and wounded some 20 others on Friday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

"Ten fatalities among servicemen were reported; the number of the wounded approximates 20, there are civilians among the wounded," a duty officer at the town's police department told Itar-Tass.

The casualty toll may be revised after the pooling of reports from hospitals where the victims were rushed, the officer said.

Earlier reports said there were 10 people killed and another 10injured in a bomb explosion. The Interior Ministry has confirmed the death of ten servicemen.

Terrorists set off two bombs near a bath house at 2:15 p.m. (1015 GMT), as the soldiers were passing by, Alexander Budnikov, first deputy head of the main headquarters of interior ministry troops, was quoted as saying.

"As a result of the explosion of two landmines, ten servicemen were killed, and an unspecified number of people were wounded, including civilians," Budnikov said.

Law enforcement departments are looking for the people involved in masterminding and carrying out the terrorist attack, he added.

Dagestan, which is next to Chechnya in the turbulent North Caucasus region, has been plagued by rising violence believed to be connected with insurgents and criminal gangs.

Source: Xinhua