Update: Death toll of gas explosion at residential building in Kyiv rises to 3
At least three people were killed in an explosion in a high-rise building on the night of June 22, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The mayor reported around 12 p.m. local time that a third victim, a woman, was found in the rubble.
Five people were injured in the incident, presumably a gas leak, Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Serhii Popko informed.
Some 20 residents were evacuated from the damaged building, located in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi District. The city's authorities have identified two boarding schools for temporary accommodation of the building's residents.
While officials estimate that the explosion was caused by a gas leak, the mayor said that the exact cause is still being determined. The search and rescue operations are ongoing, Klitschko informed.
According to Popko, the explosion caused a fire to spread over an area of 250 square meters, destroying four apartments and damaging six more.
The mayor reported the first victim around 6:30 a.m. local time, and the second one an hour later.
Haley Zehrung
