PAVLOVSKAYA SLOBODA, Russia — An apartment block west of Moscow partially collapsed following a suspected gas explosion Saturday, killing three people and possibly trapping others under the rubble.
Some of the supporting walls of the three-story building gave way and a fire broke out in the building in the small Moscow-area town of Pavlovskaya Sloboda.
Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Veronika Smolskaya was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying seven people were injured and three may still be trapped under concrete.
The blaze engulfed several apartments but firefighters quickly brought it under control, she said.
Emergency officials trawled through the rubble in the hazy spring sunshine as shocked locals looked on.
Gas explosions are relatively frequent in Russia, especially outside the big cities, where infrastructure is underdeveloped and few apartments are hooked up to gas mains.
