MOSCOW, Russian authorities announced on Monday that three people were injured in an explosion that occurred south of Russia in the city of Bashkortostan. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation said in a statement that one of the gas pipelines suffered an explosion due to underground pressure followed by a huge fire, noting that the explosion occurred under the influence of natural factors. The ministry added that it was able to transfer the injured -- two men and a woman -- to the hospital, and said that they were in critical conditions. Located south of Russia, Bashkortostan is the center of Russia's most important petrochemical plants. Source: Kuwait News Agency