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Blast rocks Dagestan capital.

MOSCOW: Itar-Tass news agency said on Monday that an explosion had struck the town of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, a region neighbouring Chechnya where Russian troops are fighting local separatists.

Tass said a car bomb went off in front of a hotel in the early hours, adding there was no news yet on casualties.

A series of explosions, blamed by the Kremlin on "Chechen terrorists", killed more than 300 people across Russia last year. Chechen militants also staged a raid into Dagestan last year, prompting Moscow to send troops into Chechnya.

The military campaign was a prime factor in boosting the popularity of Acting President Vladimir Putin, who was leading early on Monday in a presidential election, though it was unclear whether he would score an outright first-round victory.-Reuters