Chechen rebels claim attack on Russia's dam

Chechen guerrillas have claimed responsibility for a recent attack on Russia's largest hydropower dam in Siberia in which 26 died and scores are still missing.

The Chechen separatists based in Russia's North Caucasus have admitted to the bombing of the power plant, calling the attack 'stronger' than primarily envisaged.

“On August 17 through our efforts, a subversive operation was carried out in Khakasia at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro-electric dam," the militants said in an online letter posted on kavkazcenter.com.

"In the machine hall we managed to plant an anti-tank grenade with a timer, the blast of which caused much stronger damage than we could have hoped for," the letter went on to read.

At least 49 other Russian employees at the dam site are presumed dead as hopes of their recovery grows slim.

The latest development comes hours after the Russian president inspected the site in the Siberian republic and called for a major overhaul in the country's aging infrastructure, which is generally accepted as the root cause for such mishaps.

Insurgents in Chechnya have recently stepped up their anti-federal campaigns and spread the violence in the neighboring provinces in a significant spillover of conflict on Russian territories.

There has been no official statement from Russian authorities on the latest development.