One killed and 11 injured in south Russia gun attack

Shooting occurred at historic fortress in Derbent in Dagestan region

A gunman has opened fire on a group of tourists visiting a historic fortress in Dagestan in southern Russia, killing one and injuring 11. Photograph: Google Maps.
A gunman has opened fire on a group of tourists visiting a historic fortress in Dagestan in southern Russia, killing one and injuring 11. Photograph: Google Maps.

A gunman has opened fire on a group of tourists visiting a historic fortress in Dagestan in southern Russia, killing one and injuring 11, an official in the region’s health ministry said.

“As a result of a gun attack 12 people were hurt, one of whom died,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted the official as saying. The wounded, four of whom were in a serious condition, were getting medical treatment after Tuesday’s attack, the official said.

The Interfax news agency reported that the tourists were local residents who were visiting a viewing platform at the fortress in Derbent when an unidentified gunman opened fire from a nearby forest.

The visitors included two border guards, one of whom was killed in the attack, Interfax reported.

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A search for the attacker is now underway. Local police declined to comment to Reuters.

Gun and bomb attacks are common in Dagestan, a mostly-Muslim internal republic in Russia’s troubled North Caucasus region, where Moscow has been fighting Islamist insurgents for years.

However, attacks targeting tourists in the region are unusual.

Reuters