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Blast hits Supreme Court building in Ingushetia

MOSCOW: A powerful explosion struck the Supreme Court building on Tuesday in the southern Russian region of Ingushetia, to the west of separatist Chechnya, Itar-Tass news agency said.

Tass said that the explosion occurred at noon, but gave no further details.

Ingushetia is populated mainly by the Chechens' kin and has become home to more than 150,000 refugees fleeing Russia's military offensive against Muslim militants in the breakaway province.

Tass did not say whether the blast in Ingushetia's biggest town, Nazran, had been caused by a bomb. It said there may have been people in the building when the explosion took place.

The Chechen militants say they will increasingly resort to guerrilla-style operations and the Russian military has warned that the militants are planning a series of terrorist acts in the province and elsewhere in Russia.-Reuters