At least eight people killed in Grozny blast

An apartment house exploded at about 3.00 a.m. today in downtown Grozny, killing at least eight people, six children included.

According to the Chechen interior ministry's spokesman, the explosion ripped through the five-storey house No. 49/51 on Kirov street (Lenin district), completely demolishing one of its entrances. Rescue teams sifted through the rubble, finding eight bodies, i.e. two dead women and six children.

Preliminary reports have it that the blast was caused by gas. Rescue operations are still in full swing at the disaster site. An investigation squad has already been established, getting down to business.