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One of six victims identified, fate of four is still unknown

Twenty six people were rescued after the explosion and partial collapse of the building. Five people remain in hospitals

MOSCOW, February 28 (Itar-Tass) —— One of the six victims of the building explosion in Astrakhan is indentified, the head of the press service of the Emergencies Ministry's Southern regional centre, Oleg Grekov, told Itar-Tass by telephone.

"At the moment, out of the six victims, one woman is identified. The identification of the others is underway," he said.

The fate of four people remains unknown. The work to remove the debris is continuing at the site.

Twenty six people were rescued after the explosion and partial collapse of the building. Five people remain in hospitals.

According to the Russian Health Ministry, the explosion and the collapse injured 15 people, including two children.

Gas exploded in the second section of the six-section nine-storey apartment building in Astrakhan. The section, from the first to the upper floor, collapsed. Some flats are also destroyed in the third section.

Investigative authorities opened a criminal case over the explosion (Part 3 of Article 216 of the Russian Criminal Code – violation of safety regulations in mining, construction and other work).

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