Four people were killed and nearly 70 unaccounted for after a gas explosion tore through a residential building in Russia on Monday, leaving hundreds without a home in freezing temperatures on New Year’s Eve. A large section of the building collapsed after a gas explosion around 6am local time at the high-rise in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk, nearly 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) east of Moscow in the Ural mountains. Four people were confirmed dead and another four, including two children, were hospitalized, officials said, citing the latest information. Temperatures in Magnitogorsk were expected to plunge to minus 23 Celsius on New Year’s night, the biggest holiday of the year in Russia. Investigators opened a criminal probe into the accident, with the FSB security service confirming the blast had been the result of a gas explosion.

Source: Egypt Independent December 31, 2018 11:26 UTC