Explosion in Residential Building in Moscow - 2002-08-20

Russian police say that in an explosion on Tuesday in Moscow, which destroyed part of a residential building, at least one person has been killed. According to the police, it is believed that around 25 others are still trapped in the rubble of the building. Reports from Russia indicate that it is still unclear whether the explosion, which occurred in northern Moscow, was a terrorist attack or caused by a natural gas explosion. Some of those rescued have reported smelling gunpowder and natural gas. In 1999, around 300 people were killed in explosions in Russia that were attributed to separatists from the breakaway Chechen Republic. Earlier on Tuesday, Russian officials stated that a possible attack by Chechen rebels caused the crash of a military helicopter, resulting in the deaths of 114 soldiers in Chechnya on Monday. The latest news indicates that rescue workers in Moscow are searching in the dark for those who survived the explosion of the four-story section of a five-story residential building. Rescue workers, using flashlights, were searching in the early hours of Wednesday for about 25 people believed to be trapped in the rubble. The death of at least one person has been confirmed. Several others have been rescued with burn marks on their bodies. Government officials say that the cause of the explosion, which occurred in the late hours of Tuesday, is likely a gas leak. However, residents of the building claim that they smelled gunpowder rather than gas following the explosion. Three years ago, around 300 people were also killed in a series of explosions in residential buildings in Russia, which were attributed to separatists from the breakaway Chechen Republic.