Grozny (Chechnya), Aug 31 (IANS): Seven people, including five policemen, were killed and 18 others were injured in two suicide bombings in the capital of Russian North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, an official said Wednesday.

Five police officers, an emergencies ministry official and a civilian were killed in the explosions Tuesday, the North Caucasus republic's head, Ramzan Kadyrov said.

Those injured included both law enforcers and civilians.

The first explosion occurred when police officers attempted to detain a suspected militant in the city's Leninsky district, and a second blast followed some 30 minutes later when police officers and passersby gathered on the site.

Earlier it was reported that four people died and five were injured in the blasts apparently committed by suicide bombers.

Chechnya, which witnessed two brutal separatist wars in the 1990s and early 2000s, has seen a relative calm in recent years, with neighbouring Dagestan and Ingushetia bearing the brunt of North Caucasus militant violence.