Gas Explosion Destroys Residential Building in Russia, 3 Dead

A medical specialist wearing protective gear sits near ambulances parked at the Pokrovskaya hospital amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Russia. Reuters file photo
A medical specialist wearing protective gear sits near ambulances parked at the Pokrovskaya hospital amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Russia. Reuters file photo
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Gas Explosion Destroys Residential Building in Russia, 3 Dead

A medical specialist wearing protective gear sits near ambulances parked at the Pokrovskaya hospital amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Russia. Reuters file photo
A medical specialist wearing protective gear sits near ambulances parked at the Pokrovskaya hospital amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Russia. Reuters file photo

Three people died, including an 11-year-old girl, after a gas explosion caused a two-story apartment building to partially collapse in a Russian village early on Saturday, head of the Lipetsk region Igor Artamonov said.

Video footage showed major structural damage to the building in Solidarnost, a village 400 km south of Moscow, and rescue workers on the scene, attempting to clear the rubble.

Six other people were injured, the TASS news agency reported, citing Vasily Razmunov, head of the local ministry.

The regional branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said a gas explosion in the central part of the building had caused it to collapse.

Investigators said they had opened a criminal case on the grounds that services provided had not met safety requirements.

Gas explosions are relatively common in Russia because of ageing infrastructure and poor safety regulations surrounding gas use. Two people died earlier this week after a blast at a nine-story block of flats.



US Ambassador Asks Israel to Investigate Death of US Citizen in West Bank

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on as US President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on as US President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
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US Ambassador Asks Israel to Investigate Death of US Citizen in West Bank

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on as US President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on as US President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Tuesday he has asked Israel to "aggressively" investigate the death of an American citizen who was beaten to death in the West Bank.

"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act. Saif was just 20 yrs old," Huckabee said in a post on X.

The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment. Israel's military previously said Israel was investigating the incident.

US citizen Sayafollah Musallet, 20, also known as Saif, was severely beaten in the incident on Friday evening in Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

His family, from Tampa, Florida, said in a statement that medics tried to reach him for three hours before his brother managed to carry him to an ambulance, but that he died before reaching the hospital.

"We must honor his memory by speaking out against violence and working toward a future of peace and dignity," US Representative Kathy Castor, who represents Tampa, said in a post on X. "The Administration must work with our international partners to ensure the protection of Americans abroad."

Some members of the US House of Representatives have condemned the killing of Musallet, and others have called on the US State Department to investigate the incident.

The department did not immediately respond to those calls.

Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023, according to rights groups.