A building was partially gutted Saturday near Moscow by a gas explosion that left two dead and six injured, as the population is confined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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A photo posted on the Instagram account of the press service of the governor of the Russian capital region shows the destroyed building on at least three levels. The explosion took place on the second floor of an apartment building in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, a city 95 kilometers east of Moscow.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the explosion left two people dead, six injured and partially destroyed ten apartments. Rescuers searched in the early evening the rubble under which could be two other people.
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"I was at the window when I was blown away by the wave caused by the explosion," said Alexei Muranov, a witness interviewed by the public television channel Rossiya 24. "At first, we didn't understand . It looked like a car explosion and there was some smoke. Then people rushed to the place, " he continued. The Minister for Emergency Situations and the Governor of the Moscow region visited the site. Deadly gas explosions are relatively common in Russia, as most of the infrastructure dates back to Soviet times and safety standards are often overlooked.
