BEIJING - China strongly condemns the terrorist blast that killed at least 5 policemen and wounded several civilians in Russia's Ingushetia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a press release on Sunday.

China expresses its deep condolences to the innocent civilians and conveys sincere sympathies to the victims and their families, Qin said.

China firmly supports Russian government's steadfast efforts to clamp down on terrorist forces in Chechnya and other areas and will strengthen cooperation with Russia in combating terrorism, he added.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, a self-made explosive device went off at 09:30 am Moscow time (0530 GMT), when policemen were gathering at a funeral of Ilezir Korigov, a police officer who was killed by unknown gunmen in Ingushetia on Saturday.