Two trucks laden with explosives rammed into a highly protected government headquarter in Chechen capital Grozny, killing at least 41 people and destroying the building, Russian media reports said on Friday.

Chechnya's administration chief Ahmad Kadyrov and Moscow-appointed Premier Mikhail Babyche were not in the
building when the strike took place, according to NTV channel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the attack, the Kremlin press office said.

Kadyrov, who was in Moscow at the time of the bombing, told Interfax that the building had been "practically
destroyed."

The suicide attack took place at 2:30 pm local time (1700 IST), just after the lunch break.

The Emergency Situations Ministry department for southern Russia said at least 41 people were killed and more than 60
wounded in the attack.