The death toll in Monday’s blast in a residential building in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan has reached 10, a spokesman for the emergency headquarters told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
A gas blast destroyed the third floor of a nine-story residential building in Astrakhan on Monday and three other sections subsequently collapsed. Fifteen people were injured. Rescuers are continuing to clear the rubble.
The authorities promised to pay one million rubles (about $33,000) to the relatives of those killed in the blast. People whose apartments were damaged will also be paid one million rubles.
Safety violations during repair or a suicide attempt by one of the occupants are thought to have caused the explosion, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.
Investigators have opened a case against the building's engineers on fire safety violation charges, the Investigative Committee said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to the city on Tuesday.
