Moscow, Aug 15 (IANS): At least 12 people, including two children, have been killed while 60 others were reportedly injured in an explosion at a petrol station in Dagestan in southern Russia.

The blast occurred in regional capital Makhachkala, which sits on the coast of the Caspian Sea, at 21:40 local time on Monday, the BBC reported.

According to an unconfirmed Russian report quoting doctors, the death toll could be as high as 25.

The cause of the explosion which started the fire is not yet clear.

Pictures showed a large fire lighting up the night sky and a number of fire engines at the scene.

According to officials, some 260 emergency workers have been deployed at the spot.

The fire had reportedly spread over an area of 600 sq m.

An unnamed witness quoted by Russian newspaper Izvestia said that the fire had started on a car lot opposite the petrol station.

"After the explosion, everything fell on our heads. We couldn't see anything anymore," the witness said.

The Republic of Dagestan is one of 83 constituent parts of the Russian Federation and is the southernmost part of the country. Makhachkala sits around 1,600 km from Moscow.