MOSCOW: Four
people were killed and nearly 70 unaccounted for after a gas explosion tore
through a residential building in Russia yesterday, leaving hundreds without a
home in freezing temperatures on New Year's Eve. A large section of the
building collapsed after a gas explosion around 6am local time at the high-rise
in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk, nearly 1,700 kilometers east of Moscow
in the Ural mountains.

Four people were
confirmed dead and another four, including two children, were hospitalized,
officials said, citing the latest information. Sixteen people including seven
children have been evacuated. The whereabouts of 28 people have been
established but the fate of nearly 70 was unclear. National television said
some 50 people could be trapped under the rubble. National television broadcast
footage of rescue workers combing through mangled heaps of concrete and metal
in temperatures of minus 18 Celsius (minus 0.4 F).

Temperatures in
Magnitogorsk were expected to plunge to minus 23 Celsius on New Year's night,
the biggest holiday of the year in Russia. Officials warned that two more
sections of the Soviet-era high-rise on Karl Marx Street were in danger of
collapsing. Local resident Anna Koroleva told Echo of Moscow radio that the
explosion shattered windows of nearby buildings. The Kremlin said President
Vladimir Putin had been "immediately notified of the tragedy in
Magnitogorsk".

'Common tragedy'

Located in the
mineral-rich southern Ural region, Magnitogorsk, with a population of more than
400,000 people, is home to one of the country's largest steel producers. The
high-rise was built in 1973 and was home to around 1,100 people. Residents were
evacuated to a nearby school. Volunteers offered money, clothing and essentials
to the victims, and some said they were ready to provide temporary shelter to
those in need.

Regional governor
Boris Dubrovsky said authorities planned to buy apartments for people who had
lost their homes. Staff from the local Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK),
one of the country's largest steelmakers, took part in the rescue operation.
Billionaire Viktor Rashnikov, who controls the plant, called on city residents
to help the victims. "This is our common tragedy and pain," he said
in a statement, adding that MMK would provide financial assistance to those in
need.

Investigators
opened a criminal probe into the accident, with the FSB security service
confirming the blast had been the result of a gas explosion. Such deadly gas
explosions are relatively common in Russia where much of the infrastructure
dates back to the Soviet era and safety requirements are often ignored. - AFP