Russia: A five-storey building collapsed after gas explosion

In this photo released by the Telegram channel of the head of Nizhny Tagil Vladislav Pinyaev on Thursday, August 1, 2024, Russian Emergency Ministry workers are seen near a multi-storey building partially collapsed presumably due to gas explosion in Nizhny Tagil, 1400km (870mi) east from Moscow, Sverdlovsk region, Russia. (credits: apnews.com)

A partial collapse of a five-storey building occurred on Thursday 1^st of August 2024 in Nizhny Tagil, which is an industrial city at the Russian Ural Mountains. The incident resulted in 10 casualties while 5 of them were children, according to Russian Emergency Ministry. In addition, 15 more people were rescued from the debris.

Eyewitnesses claimed that they heard a loud explosion just before the two entrances of the building collapsed. At the site promptly arrived rescue teams of 550 personnel and started the rescue operations which lasted two days with the aid of heavy machinery.

In all, authorities have stated that the building collapse is believed to have occurred after an explosion of a natural gas tank beneath the building, but a criminal investigation has been launched to determine if there were any violations of health and safety regulations.

Sources: apnews.com, en.mehrnews.com, indianexpress.com