At least three people died and 13 were injured after a powerful gas explosion ripped through a block of flats in the Russian city of Ryazan. The blast ripped through several floors, practically destroying flats and raining concrete blocks on cars parked below.

“A total of 16 people were injured, three of whom died, while 13 needed medical care. Four were hospitalized, and outpatient care was provided to nine others,” TASS news agency was told by the local branch of Russia’s Emergencies and Disaster Response service.

Earlier reports suggested 16 people were injured and three had died.

Photos and videos of the devastated apartment block in Ryazan, a city some 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow, emerged early Sunday, with the incident taking place late at night.

Police say they are investigating the circumstances of the blast, which is thought to be a likely household gas explosion.

Three of the 16 people injured were found in their flats, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said, adding that a child was among the injured.

At least 60 people had to be placed in a nearby school as a temporary shelter as experts are assessing the damage dealt to the building.</s>MOSCOW — Russian emergency officials say three people are dead and 13 others are injured after an explosion in a high-rise apartment building believed to have been caused by gas.

The explosion damaged several of the top floors in the 11-story building in Ryazan, 180 (110 miles) southeast of Moscow.

The blast occurred about 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. The Emergencies Ministry said 57 people were evacuated from the building.
A gas explosion in the Russian city of Ryazan kills at least three people and injures 13 others.