Gas explosion in Russian building kills 3

Moscow, Dec 31: At least three people died and 79 others were missing after a gas explosion in an apartment building in southern Russia, authorities said on Monday. An entrance hall in the apartment building in Magnitogorsk, an industrial city in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, collapsed due to the explosion. A total of 48 apartments inhabited by 110 people were damaged in the blast, said the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Emergency services said that rescue workers managed to pull out six people from the rubble. Three people died and another three, including a child, were injured, Russia's Tass news agency reported. The gas explosion was believed to be a key cause of the accident. The fate of 79 people remained unknown, said Deputy Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region Oleg Klimov. A search and rescue effort was underway involving 469 emergency workers. Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova to the city to take stock of the situation.
--IANS