Moscow ? Suicide bombers in the capital of the rebellious province of Chechnya drove through Russian guard cordons and set off two explosions that shattered the headquarters of the Kremlin-backed administration and killed at least 46 people.

The blasts in Grozny dealt a severe blow to President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to convince his people and the world that the southern republic is returning to normal after more than three years of war.

The government has tried to reinforce its claim by pressuring refugees to go home and shepherding foreign journalists to Grozny on carefully controlled tours to examine reconstruction projects.

At least 46 people were confirmed dead in the blast and 70 wounded, said Viktor Shkareda, deputy head of the Emergency Situations Ministry in southern Russia. Rescuers were finding fragments of other bodies as they scrabbled through the heaps of broken concrete and shattered glass.

The ministry said many of the wounded would be sent to other republics for treatment because the hospitals in war-ravaged Grozny could not handle the catastrophe.

Among the seriously wounded were Chechen Security Council chief Rudnik Dudayev and Zina Batyzheva, a deputy Chechen prime minister, the Interfax news agency reported.

The explosions hit in the early afternoon, just after a lunch break. Imran Vagapov, Chechnya’s main inspector, said the government headquarters was full of employees and visitors. About 200 people usually work in the building, officials said.

Television footage showed stunned and bleeding people stumbling out of the rubble. Others were dragged out by their hands and feet, while bloodied soldiers tried to establish order. About 200 rescuers worked into the frigid night to search for survivors.

The blasts left a 20-foot-wide crater, destroyed one of the building’s wings and left much of the main structure a shell, the emergency ministry said.