(RTTNews) - A bomb attack on a pipeline in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan cut gas supplies Wednesday to more than 214,000 people living in the volatile region.

"Unidentified bandits detonated an explosive device at the 496th kilometer of the Mozdok-Kazimagomed trunk gas pipeline" Tuesday night in Dagestan's Derbent area, Russia's state-owned Itar-Tass news agency reported, quoting the dispatcher service of the Gazpromtransgaz-Makhachkala energy company.

A spokesman for the regional emergencies ministry said gas supply through the pipeline was suspended following the incident, affecting people living in 100 settlements in five rural districts of Dagestan and the city of Derbent.

The explosion caused a fire, which was extinguished by the southern regional emergencies center.

With local winter temperatures plummeting to 5-7 degrees Celsius, lack of gas supplies left people resort to electric power supplies, coal, and firewood for heating their houses.

The gas supply will be restored by Wednesday evening, authorities said.

A sharp upswing in lawlessness and separatist violence in Muslim-dominated autonomous republics in the North Caucasus - Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia - is undermining Kremlin's control of its southern flank.

Five policemen were killed last week in a suicide bombing in Makhachkala, capital of Dagestan.

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