At least eight people were injured on Sunday in a gas explosion that led to the partial collapse of an apartment building in the southern Russian city of Volgograd, Russian authorities said.
local officials said residents could be trapped under the rubble and that around 100 people have been made homeless, but did not confirm reports that two people may have died.
“According to preliminary data, a gas explosion occurred Dec 20 at around 12 pm in a multi-storey apartment building,” the investigative committee said in a statement.
Eight people, including two children aged five and seven, are in hospital but the committee said the children’s lives are not in danger, it said.
A probe into the incident has been launched.