A woman and child were killed and 11 others were injured in a blaze that raged through an apartment building in downtown St. Petersburg following a gas explosion, the Interfax news agency reported Sunday, citing the Interior Ministry.
The gas explosion occurred on the fourth floor of a communal apartment in a six-story building on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Ulitsa just before 11 p.m. on Saturday night, the Interior Ministry told Interfax. The explosion led flames to spread through a 200-square-meter area.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze on Sunday morning, Interfax reported. Eleven people were hospitalized with injuries of varying degrees of severity and 150 of the building's residents were evacuated, the report said.
According to witnesses, a thick smoke engulfed St. Petersburg's Nevsky Prospekt, the city's main thoroughfare, after the outbreak of the fire. Traffic was also interrupted in the downtown core as emergency services workers fought the blaze and tended to the wounded.
The exact cause of the gas explosion remains unclear, the regional branch of the Investigative Committee said in a statement Sunday.
Regional investigators also announced that a criminal case had been opened in relation to the incident.
Under Russian law, individuals found guilty of negligence that caused the death of two or more people can face up to five years behind bars.
Investigators are currently probing potential causes of the fire and interrogating witnesses to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
