A blast ripped through a police car in Chechnya today, killing five police officials, Russian news agencies reported.
Itar-Tass news agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying the car, carrying local policemen through the Chechen capital Grozny, blew up near the region's Press Ministry.
The blast is the second major incident in Chechnya since the region, in a Kremlin-organised poll, voted overwhelmingly last month in favour of remaining part of Russia. A bus blast last week killed eight construction workers and injured 13.
Chechen police are seen by rebels as collaborating with Russian forces and are frequent targets for separatist attacks.