Condemned Soviet-era residential building crumbles in southern Russia (VIDEO)
Multiple apartments in a vertical section of the five-story brick building gave way. Rescue teams from the Emergencies Ministry were dispatched to the scene. While search dogs were deployed over fears that someone might be trapped under the rubble, initial reports indicated that the affected section was unoccupied at the time of the collapse.
Regional Governor Igor Babushkin said the building had already been slated for full relocation after a safety inspection deemed it uninhabitable. Of the 131 units in the structure, 94 were already vacant, he said.
The authorities subsequently evacuated 22 residents from the building. One disabled individual suffered a panic attack and was hospitalized for observation. More than 200 emergency personnel are involved in the ongoing response operation.
The building, which was constructed in 1962, consists of three vertical stacks and five floors, according to local media reports. Officials in Astrakhan have launched an investigation into potential negligence and unintentional property damage.
Astrakhan is a key urban center near the Caspian Sea in southern Russia. It is about 1,300km southeast of Moscow.
The collapse follows a powerful gas explosion last week in a ten-story apartment building in Saratov. Seven people were killed in the incident, including one child, while multiple apartments were destroyed or damaged.
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