Death toll from Magnitogorsk building collapse rises to 21

The death toll from the collapse of an apartment block in the Urals city of Magnitogorsk has risen to 21, a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry said, TASS reports.

"The 21st body has been pulled from the rubble, it is a man," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the city authorities said that 14 people killed in the accident had been identified.

A section of a ten-storey apartment block collapsed in Magnitogorsk on the morning of December 31. Dozens of people were evacuated from the building. Over 20 people are still unaccounted for. The Russian Investigative Committee views a household gas explosion as the main cause of the accident.