Russia: Five, including a two-year-old child, killed in gas explosion in Novosibirsk

Five people, including a two-year-old child, were killed in a gas explosion in an apartment building in Russia's Novosibirsk on Thursday morning (February 9). Eleven people were injured in the explosion, the news agency Reuters reported citing regional authorities. Thirteen ambulances arrived at the scene and around 50 people were evacuated.

Videos published by the country's emergency ministries showed a section of the five-storey building largely destroyed, with its facade missing. Rescuers were seen saving a woman from the ruins of the building who was then transported to a hospital.

The explosion caused two entrances of the building to collapse, with 30 apartments destroyed by the ensuing fire, according to a report by the news agency Associated Press.

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Regional governor Andrey Travnikov said the nature of the injuries was varied. "There are combined injuries, burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning,” Travnikov added. An investigation has been launched and further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, authorities said that residents made homeless by the explosion would be settled in a new place, a report by the Express said.

There have been hundreds of unexplained gas explosions and fires across Russia, particularly around the Moscow region, since President Vladimir Putin launched the special military operation in Ukraine. Analysts suggested that these incidents have something to do with a growing public disdain for the war, the report added

(With inputs from agencies)

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