VLADIKAVKAZ, October 23 (Itar-Tass) — The policeman injured in the checkpoint blast in North Ossetia is in stable condition, medics at the IT department of the central Beslan hospital told Itar-Tass.
"Senior Sergeant Yevgeny Korneyev is in medium severity condition; there is no need to transport him to Moscow for urgent operation," they said.
One policeman was killed and another four were injured in the suicide bomber's explosion at Checkpoint 105 on the border between North Ossetia and Ingushetia in the village of Chermen, Prigorodny district, at around 04:20, Moscow time, spokeswoman for North Ossetia's interior department Alla Akhpolova earlier told Tass.
Police said the suicide bomber who had come from Ingushetia set off the explosive device as police were inspecting his car, when he realized that he would not be able to enter Vladikavkaz.
"The explosion fully destroyed the car; the checkpoint building is destroyed. We found the car engine 100 meters from the scene," Akhpolova said, adding that the car had Ingush licensed plates but those could be false.
Agents of the Federal Security Service, the Interior Ministry and the Investigative Committee are working at the scene. The explosion damaged transmission lines in the area and the district had a power outage.
The traffic through the checkpoint is blocked both ways. The road from North Ossetia to Ingushetia now runs through bypass in the village of Maiskoye.
Criminal proceedings were opened over "attempted murder of law-enforcement personnel" and "illegal turnover of weapons and ammunition."
North Ossetia police said the bomb yield was 30 kilograms of TNT.