5 dead in apartment building fire in Novosibirsk, Russia

MOSCOW (AP) — A gas explosion in an apartment building in the south-central Russian city of Novosibirsk Thursday morning killed at least five people, including a 2-year-old child, the regional health ministry said.

Regional Gov. Andrey Travnikov said nine people had been taken to the hospital, with two in intensive care.

Ten people, including two children, who may have been inside when the explosion occurred at 7:43 a.m. remain unaccounted-for, authorities said.

“The nature of the injuries is varied — there are combined injuries, burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning,” Travnikov said.

The explosion caused two entrances of the five-story building to collapse, with 30 apartments destroyed by the ensuing fire.

A criminal case has been opened on the incident, which preliminary data suggests was caused by a gas leak. The Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities of the region said that the gas system of the building was checked in September 2022.

Novosibirsk is the biggest city in Siberia and Russia’s third-largest by population.