A powerful explosion destroyed five floors of an apartment building in Kyiv on the morning of June 21.
Three people were known to be killed, as of 9 p.m. of the day of the explosion. Three persons were saved from under the rubble and 21 were evacuated from other apartments. The rescuers are searching for five more people and investigating how many more are missing.
One woman had to be hospitalized, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Medics and psychologists have been treating people on the spot.
All residents of the building will be relocated to a boarding house near Kyiv, according to the head of National Police Ihor Klymenko. Klitschko said that the building will have to be demolished.
The cause of the explosion is most likely a gas leak. The State Emergency Service reported that the explosion was of a “gas-air mixture.” In videos published on social media, eyewitnesses also say that it appeared to be a gas explosion. Authorities reported that no fire occurred.
The building where the explosion took place is located on 1/5 Solomii Krushelnytskoi St. in the densely populated residential neighborhood Pozniaky in the south-east part of Kyiv, on the left bank of Dnipro River.
The building’s resident Nikolay Rozhkov was awakened by the explosion. He first thought that something blew up in his apartment. All the windows were shattered.
But he was lucky. Rozhkov lives on the top floor of the nine-story building in the same section, and the explosion mostly wrecked the floors from fourth to eighth there.
“I went out to the balcony and saw that half of the house was lying at the bottom,” Rozhkov told the Kyiv Post. “There were holes between the (concrete) plates.”
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that the police are investigating two versions of the explosion: a gas leak or an explosive device. Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office has opened criminal proceedings into “violation of safety rules when dealing with gas, which led to serious consequences, death and injury of people.”
Like other residents interviewed by the journalists, Rozhkov says he smelled gas in the building and his apartment. He says that on June 17, gas service workers have removed gas meters in all apartments of this building’s section and installed special tube plugs.
“I don’t have the right to accuse anyone, because I’m not the investigator,” Rozhkov says. “But there is a clear suspicion that this was because of gas workers.”
Most residents of the building will be relocated to a boarding house on Kharkiv Highway on the outskirts of Kyiv, according to the head of National Police Ihor Klymenko. Rozhkov said he will stay at his parents house.
Rozhkov says he wants to get some things from his apartment, but is not sure he will be able to. The rescuers said that the residents will be allowed to take their things only from the apartments that have not been damaged.
Avakov said the residents will be able to take only the most necessary things from their apartments. After that, they will be sealed and guarder by the police and national guard.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that he is “keeping the situation under personal control.” Avakov and head of State Emergency Service Mykola Chechotkin have been on the spot, he says. The state commission on technological, ecological safety and emergencies will address the issue on June 22.
“I sincerely sympathize with the families of the deceased. These are two people, according to preliminary information. I hope there won’t be more victims. Our rescuers are making every effort for this,” Shmyhal said on Facebook.
