RTMon, 31 Dec 2018 03:30 UTC
© Screenshot / Ruptly
At least four people have been killed and four others injured, while the fate of 68 remains unknown after a gas explosion shattered
a 10-story residential building in downtown Magnitogorsk in Russia's Urals.The blast rocked the apartment complex on Monday at
around 6am local time, completely collapsing one of its sections, videos from the scene show.
The disaster left at least four people dead, according to local officials. Two adults and two children were rescued from the rubble and hospitalized with their injuries.
There were 111 residents registered as living in the apartment complex. The fate of 35 remains unclear, the Emergencies Ministry
told reporters.
The tragedy was caused by a gas explosion, the regional office of the Federal Security Service (FSB)
confirmed.
A woman living on the fourth floor of the building told Ruptly news agency that
she was woken up by a loud bang and saw that all the windows in the apartment were shattered. She immediately detected a strong smell of burning."I made a wet cloth mask for my kids, quickly dressed them in warm clothes and grabbed some of my documents," she said."We went out right onto the rubble. The whole section of the building was gone.""We thought an earthquake had happened!" another witness said.
"All the windows were broken - on the balcony, in all the rooms. We heard people screaming."Some 469 rescuers and 66 pieces of equipment were deployed to the scene. Additional teams, including psychiatric specialists and K-9 units, are being brought from all over Chelyabinsk Region and neighboring Bashkortostan Region.
While the city has deployed its first-response teams, the Emergencies Ministry remains on a standby to fly four planes from Moscow to deliver more staff to the scene.
President Vladimir Putin arrived to Magnitogorsk and inspected the site of the disaster.The Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the incident.
Comment: For more on the possible causes for the growing number of gas and electrical related incidents both above and below ground, see:
Below are just a small selection of events from the past few years:
UPDATE 01.01.19 15:00:RT
reports:
Putin arrives at scene of deadly Urals gas blast amid race to save people in freezing cold
Cutting short his trip to Sochi, President Vladimir Putin arrived on the scene of the devastating gas blast in the city of Magnitogorsk, where rescuers are working against time to pull the trapped people from under debris in -20C.
Arriving at the site of the blast in the southern Urals, some 1,700km east of Moscow, the Russian leader was briefed on how the powerful explosion ripped through the residential building, trapping up to forty people under the rubble. Putin has urged the Chelyabinsk Region governor to spare no resources in helping the families affected by the blast who ended up with no roof over their heads on New Year's Eve.
Putin then visited the survivors of the explosion at a local hospital, and talked to a young victim of the blast.
Seven people have been confirmed killed in the disaster, with dozens still missing - including children. The rescue efforts are aggravated by minus 20 Celsius temperatures, due to sink even lower overnight.
The rescue efforts are aggravated by minus 20 Celsius temperatures which are due to sink even lower overnight.
The tragedy took place before dawn when most of the residents were asleep ahead of arguably the most popular holiday night in Russia. The blast, which is thought to have been caused by a gas leak, left at least 10 apartments heavily damaged and 25 completely destroyed.
More from RT:
'Under ruins voices begged: Save us!': Hope of finding 40 missing in Russia's NYE gas blast dwindles
© RuptlyScreenshot
As weather in Magnitogorsk plunged to -22C, rescue workers continued to remove rubble under searchlights on New Year's Eve, while officials admitted that chances of locating the dozens of missing victims grew slimmer by the hour.
[...]
"I thought we will go out through the porch, but as I opened my apartment door, I saw ruins. There was no porch at all anymore."
The crowd of onlookers, who had rushed out, helped those well enough to walk climb down from the pile of debris that formed from the 35 flats that had been decimated.
Amid the panic, they also had a firmer grasp of the scale of the tragedy.
"It just collapsed like a house of cards," said one witness.
A local newspaper reported that some residents jumped from their windows to escape the fumes.
"The fire was only on one floor of the building, but underneath the ruins, there were quiet voices, begging 'Help us! Save us!'" another told Ruptly.
The first responders arrived. Then, the entire might of the 500,000-size city's fire, medical and emergency departments. While some residents responded immediately to frantic calls from officials, or called the police to say they were safe, the phones of others were switched off. As the first survivors of burns and falls were delivered to hospital, and the deceased identified, it was clear that a substantial number of people were trapped, dead or alive.
Whatever had to be done now, could not be done in minutes or with only manpower and fire hoses. Specialist equipment and a go-slow approach were needed.
So began the multi-hour operation - as the nation watched live.
Instantly relatable to tens of millions of Russians, who grew up in identical mass builds, with their own gas stoves, this was not news that would be buried in the avalanche of festive TV shows and table preparations.
Plane after plane of emergency workers were dispatched from major cities, officials from the local governor, to the emergencies and health ministers arrived at the site. There are currently 1,300 people and over 200 pieces of equipment deployed.
[...]
UPDATE 1.01.19 16:00 An 11-month old
boy has been rescued from the rubble. The child is in grave condition, but doctors are optimistic. A team of top emergency doctors has been sent from a specialist center in Chelyabinsk, while doctors from all around Russia are ready to offer additional help by video link. The boy is the first person who has been extracted alive apart from those residents who escaped immediately following the suspected gas blast. Video filmed by emergency crews shows the moment the child was pulled from a pile of deformed concrete and steel:
UPDATE 01.01.19 18.44 RT reports that the search has re-started for the 32 missing residents as crews were able to remove debris posing potential risk to emergency rescuers. A criminal investigation over potential negligence has been handed over to the Particularly Important Cases department in Moscow, with those responsible facing potential jail terms if found guilty. Multiple reports have said that apartment residents repeatedly complained to their communal services over the strong smell of gas in the 45 year old complex.
UPDATE 01.02.19 16.06 The
official death toll has reached 24 with 17 residents still missing. Multiple rescue teams have been working day and night to locate and extract people trapped in the debris. Heat cannons were set up to help those who might still be stuck to withstand the cold, as the temperature fell to -20C at night. Locals have created makeshift memorials with flowers and toys set up near the site, and have been lighting candles there. Six people have been rescued so far, including the 11-month-old boy, Vanya whose condition is stable but remains serious. RT details the miraculous rescue of the child:
UPDATE 01.02.19 19:45: RT reports that a total of 31 people have now been confirmed dead while 10 residents remain missing. Multiple rescue teams have been working around the clock to rescue people from the debris. The use of heavy equipment was halted due to fears of further collapse, so rescuers are currently clearing the rubble manually. Six people have been rescued so far.
Comment: For more on the possible causes for the growing number of gas and electrical related incidents both above and below ground, see:
RT reports: More from RT: UPDATE 1.01.19 16:00 An 11-month old boy has been rescued from the rubble. The child is in grave condition, but doctors are optimistic. A team of top emergency doctors has been sent from a specialist center in Chelyabinsk, while doctors from all around Russia are ready to offer additional help by video link. The boy is the first person who has been extracted alive apart from those residents who escaped immediately following the suspected gas blast. Video filmed by emergency crews shows the moment the child was pulled from a pile of deformed concrete and steel:
UPDATE 01.01.19 18.44 RT reports that the search has re-started for the 32 missing residents as crews were able to remove debris posing potential risk to emergency rescuers. A criminal investigation over potential negligence has been handed over to the Particularly Important Cases department in Moscow, with those responsible facing potential jail terms if found guilty. Multiple reports have said that apartment residents repeatedly complained to their communal services over the strong smell of gas in the 45 year old complex.
UPDATE 01.02.19 16.06 The official death toll has reached 24 with 17 residents still missing. Multiple rescue teams have been working day and night to locate and extract people trapped in the debris. Heat cannons were set up to help those who might still be stuck to withstand the cold, as the temperature fell to -20C at night. Locals have created makeshift memorials with flowers and toys set up near the site, and have been lighting candles there. Six people have been rescued so far, including the 11-month-old boy, Vanya whose condition is stable but remains serious. RT details the miraculous rescue of the child:
UPDATE 01.02.19 19:45: RT reports that a total of 31 people have now been confirmed dead while 10 residents remain missing. Multiple rescue teams have been working around the clock to rescue people from the debris. The use of heavy equipment was halted due to fears of further collapse, so rescuers are currently clearing the rubble manually. Six people have been rescued so far.