Monitoring desk
\nMoscow
\nFour 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\u2019s Eve.
\nA 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 kilometres (1,050 miles) east of Moscow in the Ural mountains.
\nFour people were confirmed dead and another four, including two children, were hospitalised, officials said, citing the latest information.
\nSixteen people including seven children have been evacuated.
\nThe whereabouts of 28 people have been established but the fate of nearly 70 was unclear. National television said some 50 people could be trapped under the rubble.
\nNational television broadcast footage of rescue workers combing through mangled heaps of concrete and metal in temperatures of minus 18 Celsius (minus 0.4 F).
\nTemperatures in Magnitogorsk were expected to plunge to minus 23 Celsius on New Year\u2019s night, the biggest holiday of the year in Russia.
\nOfficials warned that two more sections of the Soviet-era high-rise on Karl Marx Street were in danger of collapsing.
\nLocal resident Anna Koroleva told Echo of Moscow radio that the explosion shattered windows of nearby buildings.
\nThe Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been \u201cimmediately notified of the tragedy in Magnitogorsk\u201d.
\n– \u2018Common tragedy\u2019-
\nLocated in the mineral-rich southern Ural region, Magnitogorsk, with a population of more than 400,000 people, is home to one of the country\u2019s largest steel producers.
\nThe high-rise was built in 1973 and was home to around 1,100 people. Residents were evacuated to a nearby school. Volunteers offered money, clothing and essentials to the victims, and some said they were ready to provide temporary shelter to those in need.
\nRegional governor Boris Dubrovsky said authorities planned to buy apartments for people who had lost their homes. Staff from the local Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK), one of the country\u2019s largest steelmakers, took part in the rescue operation.
\nBillionaire Viktor Rashnikov, who controls the plant, called on city residents to help the victims.
\n\u201cThis is our common tragedy and pain,\u201d he said in a statement, adding that MMK would provide financial assistance to those in need.
\nInvestigators opened a criminal probe into the accident, with the FSB security service confirming the blast had been the result of a gas explosion.
\nSuch deadly gas explosions are relatively common in Russia where much of the infrastructure dates back to the Soviet era and safety requirements are often ignored.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monitoring desk Moscow 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\u2019s Eve. A large section of the building collapsed after a gas explosion around 6am local time at the high-rise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n