SAKHALIN-(MaraviPost)-At least nine people have died and several others injured after a gas explosion ripped through the five-story building in the town of Tymovskoye, Russia.
The region’s governor Valery Limarenko confirmed the news of the accident adding that among the victims were four children.
According to authorities, the five-story building collapsed after a gas cylinder exploded in one of the apartments at around 5:30 a.m on Saturday, November 19.
AP report indicated that 33 people known to have lived in the building are still missing and rescue teams were searching for them under the rubble.
The region’s governor also disclosed that residents affected by the explosion were offered temporary shelter and families who lost their homes will be paid 500,000 rubles (US$8,217) as compensation following the tragedy.
The regional prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the explosion while the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on causing death and damage to property through negligence.
The apartment building was constructed in the 1980s in the village of Tymovskoye, Sakhalin, that is located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Japan.
