A man and his two children narrowly escaped death during a deadly gas explosion in a high-rise residential building on Blinova Street in Saratov. The dramatic moment was captured on surveillance footage published by Mash on Telegram.
The video shows the man playing ball with his son near the building just moments before the explosion. A young girl, believed to be his daughter, is sitting on a bench nearby. When the blast erupts and part of the structure begins to collapse, the man dashes toward the girl, scoops her up, and flees with both children in a desperate sprint away from the epicenter.
“It was a matter of seconds — he grabbed his daughter and ran with both kids just as debris started falling from the collapsing structure.”
The explosion occurred on Friday, July 25, reportedly caused by a gas leak in one of the apartments. The force of the blast brought down ten floors of the building, with debris raining down on nearby pedestrians.
Unofficial reports suggest at least four fatalities, and more than ten individuals may still be trapped under the rubble. Emergency services are continuing search and rescue operations at the scene.
According to local sources, the collapsed building had seen at least three different management companies rotate through over the past year. Notably, none of these companies conducted gas leak inspections during their tenure — a failure now under intense scrutiny as the investigation unfolds.
This tragic incident highlights persistent issues with residential gas safety and infrastructure oversight in Russian cities, raising urgent questions about accountability and regulation.
