Six dead as block of flats in Russian city of Saratov partially collapses after suspected gas explosion

At least six people have died after a ten-storey residential building in the city of Saratov, in Russia’s Volga region, partially collapsed in a suspected gas explosion, the Emergency Situations Ministry reported on Friday.

The ministry said the explosion had occurred at around 11am local time in the top four storeys of the building. A source in the rescue services told state-owned news agency TASS that the partial collapse affected all 10 floors, however, adding that over 30 apartments were damaged or completely destroyed.

Video footage on Telegram channels appeared to confirm that all 10 storeys of the high-rise building had suffered damage. Preliminary data quoted by both the Emergency Situations Ministry and Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin suggest the cause of the explosion was a gas leak.

Regional security official Yury Yurin told TASS that one of the dead was a child. Others remain trapped in the rubble, with rescue workers on the scene, TASS continued.

The Saratov region Prosecutor’s Office said it was conducting an inspection into the cause of the explosion, while the regional Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for violation of safety standards.