Gas explosion in Russia's far eastern Sakhalin region kills nine residents

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Nine people have died in gas explosion at a residential building in a village in Russia's far eastern Sakhalin Island, local authorities said Saturday.

The incident occurred in the village of Tymovskoye around 5 a.m. Moscow time when improperly stored household gas tanks caused an explosion, officials said.

The five-story building was constructed in 1980 and wasn't connected to the centralized gas infrastructure.

"The death toll has risen to nine people and there are three children among them," emergency officials told the Russian news agency TASS. "Several people remain under the rubble. Now the effort to remove the collapsed structures continues."

Sakhalin Region Governor Valery LImarenko said four children were among those killed in the blast.

"The number of dead people has risen to nine, four of them are children. It has now grown dark but rescue efforts twill continue at night," Limarenko said in a post on Telegram.