Blast causes building collapse in Astrakhan

A communal entrance hallway in a residential house in Astrakhan has collapsed after an explosion, ITAR-TASS reports.

The second entrance of the 9-storey 6-entrance house collapsed from the 10th floor to the ground floor. Emergency services said that the building looks like a pie with the middle piece taken out.

Oleg Grekov, head of the press service of the Southern Regional Center of the Ministry for Emergencies, said that two people were rescued. The number of people in the building is being clarified.

Information about the blast was received at 1 pm. Preliminary data indicates that the explosion was caused by a gas leak.