Three useless after fuel explosion destroys residential buildings in Russia | World information

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Three people died, including an 11-year-old girl, after a gas explosion partially collapsed a two-story apartment building in a Russian village early Saturday, Lipetsk region chief Igor Artamonov said.

Video footage showed major structural damage to the building in Solidarnost, a village 400 km south of Moscow, and rescue workers on site trying to clear the rubble.

Six other people were injured, the TASS news agency reported, citing Vasily Razmunov, the head of the local emergency ministry.

The regional branch of the Russian inquiry committee said a gas explosion in the central part of the building caused it to collapse.

Investigators said they initiated criminal proceedings on the grounds that the services provided did not meet security requirements.

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Gas explosions are relatively common in Russia due to aging infrastructure and inadequate safety regulations regarding gas use. Two people died earlier this week after an explosion in a nine-story apartment block.

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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