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17 flats damaged in house collapse in Primorsky Region

One woman was killed, and one girl received soft tissue bruises

MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. About 17 flats have been damaged in a residential house collapse in the village of Novonezhino, Primorsky Region, the Emergencies Ministry’s press service told TASS on Tuesday.

"People were evacuated from entrance hall 2 and two flats of entrance hall 4. A total of 17 flats were damaged. Temporary accommodation centers are operating. Seven people (the elderly) were placed in a temporary accommodation center in a local club," the ministry said.

The press service added that a temporary accommodation center was also set up in a secondary boarding school in the village of Smolyanovo. Rescuers are helping the residents to take their pets and necessary items from the damaged flats.

The Emergencies Ministry’s groups are working on the site, including psychological service specialists. The building is being examined, in particular with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Employees of the forensic expert institution of the fire test laboratory at the Emergencies Ministry’s Federal Fire-Fighting Service for the Khabarovsk Region are going to the village of Novonezhino with an advanced mobile diagnostic system for examining buildings and facilities.

The collapse occurred at 03:30 local time (20:30 Moscow time) between the fourth and fifth floors of a five-storey house. A ceiling slab, a wall and a staircase flight collapsed. According to various information, the collapse could be caused by a munition explosion or a water heater explosion.

There are 90 flats and six entrance halls in the five-storey house. One woman was killed, and one girl received soft tissue bruises but was not hospitalized. A criminal case was launched under Section 109 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Infliction of death by negligence").