VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia, Sept 9 (Reuters) - A large blast hit near a market in the city of Vladikavkaz in Russia's restive North Caucasus on Thursday, killing at least four people, Russian news agencies reported.
The blast in the capital of the mostly Orthodox Christian province of North Ossetia came amid a persistent wave of violence linked to an Islamic insurgency in the neighbouring Muslim regions of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed law enforcement official as saying the blast may have been caused by a car bomb. It said at least six people were killed.
State-run RIA cited investigators as saying at least four people were killed, while ITAR-TASS cited the local Health Ministry as saying five were killed and dozens wounded.
ITAR-TASS said the blast occurred near the entrance to a market.
North Ossetia, where 331 people died in the 2004 Beslan school siege, has seen relatively little violence in recent years as an Islamist insurgency gained momentum in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.
(Additional reporting by Kazbek Basayev; Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Steve Gutterman) (conor.humphries@thomsonreuters.com; +7495-7751242)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
