Ukraine Explosion
Oct 22, 2004

Death Toll in Lugansk Increases to 3

Ukrainian authorities have revised the death toll in Lugansk's house collapse to three. Preliminary reports said it was caused by a gas blast in one of the apartments. Some 200 people are involved in the rescue effort. The work is hampered by tangles of metal pipes, which the force of the explosion twisted around the reinforced steel of concrete structures, first deputy head of the regional emergencies department Igor Savelyev told Tass. People mostly clear up debris by hand. A crane cannot be used here; we cut the web of pipes and reinforced steel with hydraulic scissors. The blast left 64 people homeless, who lived in 30 apartments that were fully or partially destroyed. These people are now accommodated at a local hospital, where food is provided for them.