MOSCOW, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Three policemen were killed and one was injured in an explosion Saturday in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, police said.

    A remote-controlled explosive device detonated near a banquet hall in downtown Makhachkala, regional capital of Dagestan, at around 4 p.m. Moscow time (1200 GMT) when a police patrol was walking nearby, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported, citing police sources.

    Two policemen died on the spot and two more were injured. An injured policeman died later in hospital.

    Dagestan is an impoverished region neighboring Chechnya, where the fighting between government forces and separatist rebels has spilled over into nearby regions including Dagestan. Enditem