Russian cafe blast kills 15
MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- An explosion thought to have been caused by a gas leak tore through a cafe in a city in Russia's Siberia region, killing 15 people and injuring at least 17, the emergencies ministry said.
The ministry said investigators at the site suspected escaping gas had caused the explosion Thursday in the city of Chita, about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) east of Moscow and near Russia's borders with Mongolia and China.
"Fifteen people were killed and 17 injured. Our preliminary explanation is that this was caused by domestic gas," a ministry spokesman said. The building was completely destroyed.
Gas explosions are common in Russia, where infrastructure has gone largely unmaintained since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In Russia's southern region of Dagestan, four teenagers were also killed on Thursday when the hot water boiler exploded at their school.
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