The Sakhalin Region Governor in Russia, Valery Limarenko, had on Saturday, November 19, revealed that the gas explosion that happened at an apartment building on Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East had led to the death of eight people.
The Russian news agency, Tass had quoted governor Limarenko as saying in a Telegram channel that the death toll had risen to eight individuals. And according to media reports on Saturday morning, three children had been among those confirmed dead from the gas explosion.
Tass had earlier reported that a powerful explosion rocked a five-story residential building in Tymovskoye on Russia’s Far Eastern Sakhalin Island at about 5:03 a.m. Moscow time on Saturday.
Preliminary reports had it that a gas cylinder exploded in one of the apartments of the building, leading to the floors in one of its sections collapsing as result.
At the time of this report, rescue teams are working at the scene, with not less than 13 vehicles and 59 rescuers involved in the rescue operation.
The five-story building was built in the year 1980 and has 80 apartments in total. Already, a temporary shelter has been built, offering beds, hot meals, and other necessary first aid items to the affected residents of the building.