Three Russian law enforcement officials were killed Friday when a car bomb exploded near a police station in the southern city of Pyatigorsk in the restive North Caucasus region, Russian media reported.

No one claimed immediate responsiblity for the attack, but insurgents seeking to establish an Islamic republic along Russia's southern rim frequently target federal soldiers and law enforcement officials.

Security service sources told Russian news agencies that the three interior ministry officers died when a parked car exploded near a traffic police station in the Stavropol region of the city.

"The explosion was so powerful that the car was torn to pieces," an unnamed police official told the Interfax news agency.

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