MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The death toll in a gas explosion that shook an apartment building in Novosibirsk in the early hours on Thursday has grown to three, a health official told TASS.

"The body of a third person was found on the scene of the incident," the official said.

A gas blast occurred in a five-story residential building in Novosibirsk at 7:43 a.m. (3:43 a.m. Moscow time) on Tuesday. The explosion was followed by a fire that engulfed an area of 300 square meters. There may still be people under the rubble.

As many as 50 people have been evacuated. According to emergencies services, the blast might have been caused by a gas leak in one of the apartments.