MAKHACHKALA, August 15. /TASS/. The number of people injured in an explosion that rocked a gas station in the Russian city of Makhachkala has risen to 102, said Sergey Mekilov, head of the Dagestan Region.

"As of 6:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. GMT) on August 15, the tragedy killed 27 people and left 102 injured," Melikov’s press service quoted him as saying.

According to the regional head, there are three children among those killed.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said earlier that the gas station blast in Makhachkala had killed 27 and left 75 injured. Efforts continue to clear the rubble and search for potential survivors. Search-and-rescue dog teams are working at the site. In addition, the Emergencies Ministry’s Il-76 aircraft has departed from Moscow’s Zhukovsky Airport to airlift the injured to the hospital.