| It has been proven that the cause of the explosion of a house in Arkhangelsk was gas Specialists from the Russian Federal Center for Forensic Expertise have completed an examination of the ruins of a 9-story residential building that exploded in March of this year in Arkhangelsk. According to the prosecutor of the Arkhangelsk region, Alexander Apanasenko, according to the expert opinion, the cause of the explosion was household gas. Experts did not find any traces of explosives.
Let us remind you that the explosion of a residential building in Arkhangelsk occurred at 3:00 am on March 16th. As a result, 58 people died. On April 20, former Gorgaz employee Sergei Alekseychik was detained on suspicion of damaging gas pipes in a collapsed house. The investigation considers Alekseichik’s revenge on the management of Gorgaz for “unfair” dismissal to be the motive for the crime.
Prosecutor Apanasenko said that the epicenter of the explosion was between the first and second floors of the house. It was there, according to experts, that the gas leak occurred. The explosion was equivalent to 60-70 kg of TNT. To achieve such power, according to Mr. Apanasenko, it was necessary from 8.8 to 10 cubic meters of gas, which could accumulate from a broken pipe in 12-14 minutes. The “gas” version is also supported by the nature of the destruction and the non-fragmentation of the structures. The prosecutor also noted that the gas could not have entered the entrance from the outside, that is, the explosion was “deliberately initiated.”
Former Gorgaz mechanic, 24-year-old Sergei Alekseichik, during his seven months in custody, underwent two psychological and psychiatric examinations, which established that Alekseichik “did not suffer and does not suffer from any mental disorders.” During the first interrogations, he admitted guilt, but after a conversation with a lawyer, he refused to testify and even filed a lawsuit with the prosecutor's office to initiate a criminal case based on pressure on him from the investigation. The prosecutor's office refused the plaintiff, citing the “absence of a crime.” Meanwhile, it is known for certain that after the arrest, Alekseichik had a broken lip. The prosecutor's office says that no one beat the accused, but he injured his lip, apparently by accident.
The former gas worker is accused under Art. 105-2 (murder of two or more persons committed by explosion) and 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (deliberate destruction of property through negligence). According to Alexander Apanasenko, it is possible that he may also be charged with terrorism. At the same time, the prosecutor did not name the direct evidence of Alekseichik’s guilt that the investigation has. The only arguments for the prosecution that Mr. Apanasenko listed were Alekseychik’s characterization and lifestyle. In Kazakhstan, where he lived before arriving in Arkhangelsk, he was described as a “closed person, prone to aggression.” The prosecutor added that the accused led a “nocturnal” lifestyle and drank a lot.
According to the regional prosecutor, the investigation is now nearing completion. The volume of the case is 40 volumes. Most of the examinations have been carried out, the results of the latter will arrive in one to two weeks. According to the prosecutor, if Alekseichik himself and his lawyer have time to read all the materials of the case, it will be sent to the jury before the new year. Mikhail SERAPIONOV, Arkhangelsk |
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