Ukrainian gas blast: 1 dead, 4 injured

Ukrainian emergency crews ended their rescue efforts early on Thursday, more than 16 hours after a gas explosion ripped through an apartment building in the southern city of Odessa. Rescuers retrieved one body from the building in the Black Sea port city and rescued four people, all with serious injuries, the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.

Remaining tenants from the building were evacuated to nearby army barracks, the ministry said. Most Ukrainian homes use natural gas for cooking and heating, and leaks are frequent in aging apartments and houses, killing and injuring scores of people each year, reports the AP. I.L.