At least four people were killed and 11 injured when a gas explosion ripped through an apartment building in the North Caucasus republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, regional authoritiessaid Thursday.Video of the explosion site published by regional emergency officialsshowed the partially collapsed top two floors of the five-story building in the regional capital of Cherkessk.After initially reporting one and then two deaths, the regional branch of Russias Emergency Situations Ministrysaidfour people were killed, 11 injured and 52 evacuated from the building.Governor Rashid Temrezovsaid he was keeping the situation under control.Several people were pulled from the rubble alive as rescuers worked to find other survivors.
Investigatorslaunched a criminal probe into safety violations.Gas explosions in residential buildings are not uncommon in Russia.
Many apartment blocks built during the Soviet era are poorly maintained and repair work is sometimes delayed for years or never done at all.In August, seven people were killed in a gas explosion at an apartment block in the Sverdlovsk region.