Rostov-On-Don (Russia), Aug 17 (RIA Novosti) At least eleven people died and about 25 were wounded Monday when a powerful bomb blast took place in Nazran, the largest city in the Russian North Caucasus republic, police said.

According to police, the blast occurred near the city's police headquarters, and may have been caused by a car bomb set off by a suicide bomber.

'At about 9.08 a.m. (05.08 GMT) a yellow GAZelle truck broke through a gate at a check point near the building. A powerful explosion followed shortly after that,' an investigator told RIA Novosti.

'The building and cars parked around it are on fire,' a police source earlier said.

Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus regions have seen a rise in violence in recent months.