Three people were killed in the southern Russian city of Makhachkala on Wednesday (May 1) following a bomb explosion outside of a shopping centre.

Russian news agency Itar-Tass cited Russian Interior Ministry reports that two kilograms of TNT were used in the explosion that killed two teenagers and sent another person to the hospital, where the third person died.

The agency quoted the interior ministry as saying the bomb was planted in a steel pipe.

The explosion happened in the Dagestani capital city, in the restive Russian republic where Russia has tightened security less than a year ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Itar-Tass said investigators were verifying witness reports that a package was tossed from a car driving past the entrance of the market shortly before the explosion.

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