A view shows firefighting vehicles at the accident scene at a gas station in Makhachkala, Russia, on Monday. Reuters

At least 30 people were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion and fire at a petrol station in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the emergency situations ministry said on Tuesday.

"A total of 102 people were injured as a result of the incident, of whom, unfortunately, 27 died," the ministry said on Telegram.

The explosion in the city of Makhachkala took place at a fuel station after a fire had broken out, the Russian Federation's Investigative Committee for Dagestan said on Telegram.

"A fire occurred during car maintenance work, followed by a bang, as a result of which people were injured and died," the committee said, adding that nearby buildings and cars were damaged.

A criminal case has been opened to establish the circumstances leading up to the fire, it said.

The state-run TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies reported that the fire had been extinguished, citing the ministry.

Makhachkala, a city of over 600,000 residents on the Caspian Sea, is the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic bordering Chechnya, which shares a border with Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Agence France-Presse