MOSCOW (Reuters) – Rescue services in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk scrambled to find survivors after a suspected gas blast in the early hours of Monday caused the partial collapse of a high rise apartment building, killing at least two people, news agencies reported.
Media outlets in the city, located 1,700 km (1,050 miles) east of Moscow in the southern Urals, said it was unclear how many people were trapped in the debris, but cries for help could be heard from beneath the rubble.
Citing the emergencies ministry, RIA news agency said 110 people lived in the building, and 48 apartments had been damaged.
The ministry said on its website that 16 people had been evacuated, and three had been rescued from the debris. It said the calamity could have been caused by a gas blast.
Reports said that the blast ripped through the building at around 0600 (0100 GMT) when many of the residents were asleep. Monday is a public holiday before the New Year celebrations in Russia.
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Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore