INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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
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.
