A gas explosion in an apartment building has killed at least nine people, including four children, on the island of Sakhalin in far eastern Russia, regional authorities said.
A section of the five-story building in the town of Tymovskoye collapsed after a gas cylinder exploded in one of the apartments on November 19 at around 5:30 a.m. Moscow time (0230 GMT/UTC), authorities said.
Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko wrote on Telegram that rescue teams were searching for more victims under the rubble. He said some of the 33 people known to have lived in the building remained unaccounted for.
The regional prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the explosion while the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on causing death and damage to property through negligence.
Sakhalin is located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Japan.
According to Limarenko, residents affected by the explosion were offered temporary shelter and families who lost their homes will be paid 500,000 rubles ($8,217). Relatives of the people killed can expect to receive 1 million rubles ($16,434), he said.