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Russia's Ryazan governor says death toll in house explosion climbs to 7

According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, seven people died in the domestic gas explosion, and another 13, including a child, were injured

MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Rescuers have found four more bodies under the rubble of the apartment house in Ryazan, central Russia, that was earlier rocked by a household gas explosion, Ryazan Region Governor, Oleg Kovalyov, said on Monday.

According to the governor, the death toll has reached seven people, "four more bodies were found." TASS earlier reported that three people had been killed in the blast.

The governor noted he will ask the regional government to declare a day of mourning to pay homage to those killed in the explosion. "I believe it is necessary to declare a day of mourning in the Ryazan region, and tomorrow I will contact the Ryazan region government on this issue," the press service quotes Kovalyov as saying.

The press service of the Russian Investigation Committee told TASS that "according to the latest reports, another four bodies: of a man, two women and a child have been retrieved from under the rubble. Their identities are being established."

"An investigative group, comprising investigators and forensic experts of the central administration of the Russian Investigation Committee and the investigative department for the Ryazan region, continues working at the scene. The documents of gas and heat supply services, a multifunctional center and Homeowners Association have been seized. The investigators are carrying out face-to-face interrogations, questioning the tenants and employees of design companies," the Investigation Committee said.

Forensic inquiries and other legal proceedings designed to establish all the circumstances behind the accident and find those responsible, are under way.

A household gas explosion occurred in a multi-storey residential house in Ryazan in the small hours on Sunday. The blast destroyed several apartments. According to preliminary data provided by the Russian Emergencies Ministry, in addition to those killed, 13 people were injured, among them a child. Five of them are still in hospitals.