Five killed in Chechnya after gas explosion at construction site

At least five people were killed and another 26 were injured when multiple gas cylinders exploded at a construction site in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya, the state-affiliated Telegram channel Baza reported on Monday.

According to Baza, the explosion occurred on Monday morning at the construction site of a small hydroelectric power facility in Bashin-Kali, a village in southern Chechnya. A single gas cylinder exploding caused a chain reaction of subsequent explosions, the independent news outlet ASTRA said on Telegram.

A video captured at the work site depicts fire, smoke and debris caused by the explosion in what appears to be a work-related accident.

At least 15 people were hospitalised in the aftermath of the explosion, according to the state-affiliated newspaper Izvestia, which added that all five people who died in the accident were construction workers.

Chechnya’s Investigative Committee has reportedly opened a criminal case for negligence against those responsible for the accident.