In Russia’s Ural Mountains, a tragic incident occurred as an apartment block collapsed due to a gas explosion, causing four fatalities, as reported by the Russian Emergencies Ministry on Friday. The collapse has left at least 15 individuals rescued, but there are concerns for many more who could be trapped beneath the rubble, prompting a massive rescue effort.
Images released by Russian agencies depict a significant portion of the five-story prefab building in Nizhny Tagil, an industrial city, completely destroyed by the explosion.
Revealed by the Russian Emergencies Ministry, a gas tank explosion is believed to be the likely trigger for the devastation. Witnesses residing in adjacent buildings informed Russian media outlets that a loud blast was heard just before the structure crumbled on Thursday.
Emergency workers, exceeding 500 in number, are actively participating in the search and rescue mission with heavy machinery. Efforts to sift through the wreckage for potential survivors have persisted into Friday. As of now, 15 individuals, comprising seven children and a cat, have been successfully extricated from the debris. Medical authorities disclosed that most of the rescued victims have been hospitalized, with one child in critical condition.
Prompted by the incident, Russian law enforcement has initiated a criminal investigation, suspecting a lapse in health and safety regulations as the cause of the unfortunate events.
