OF THE
TIMES
Putin arrives at scene of deadly Urals gas blast amid race to save people in freezing coldMore from RT:
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.
'Under ruins voices begged: Save us!': Hope of finding 40 missing in Russia's NYE gas blast dwindlesUPDATE 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:
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.
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"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.
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Comment: The war propaganda is more subtle and far-reaching than just some "humorous" poster. It is a battle for the future of Britain's children.