Death toll rises to 38 in Russia gas blast

Emergency Situations employees look towards debris of damaged parts of a collapsed apartment building in Magnitogorsk, a city of 400,000 people, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. [Photo: AP/Maxim Shmakov]

The number of people killed in a residential gas explosion in Russia has increased to 38, the country’s Emergency Ministry said Wednesday.

Rescuers found the body of a woman, the 38th victim, under the debris of the collapsed building, TASS news agency cited the ministry’s spokesman as saying.

The gas explosion occurred Dec. 31 at a 10-story residential building in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk in the Chelyabinsk region, 1,400 km east of Moscow.

Search and rescue operations are still under way at the site as three people remain missing.

Wednesday was declared a day of mourning in Chelyabinsk for those killed in the explosion.

Comments

No comments yet. Why don’t you start the discussion?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *