Death Toll In Russian Apartment Building Collapse Rises To 17

Russian emergency services work on May 12 at the scene of a partially collapsed building in Belgorod.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said on May 14 that the number of people killed in a residential building collapse in the city of Belgorod two days before has risen to 17 after rescue teams found two more bodies. Russian authorities said the deaths occurred when a building collapsed in the border region of Belgorod after fragments from a Ukrainian-fired missile shot down by Russian air defenses hit it. The Conflict Intelligence Team investigative group has cast doubt on the Russian claim, saying the apartment building was most likely hit by either a Russian missile or bomb. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.