09:13, 17 January 2009

Azerbaijan: five persons killed by exploding house

An explosion of an apartment house in one of micro-districts of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, killed five persons.

According to the Ministry for Emergencies, 9 more people were wounded; the condition of four of them is considered to be grave. However, according to the "News-Azerbaijan" Agency, 11 persons suffered, 7 of them are in grave conditions.

The explosion took place on January 16 at about 3:30 p.m. Moscow time. The incident completely ruined 10 apartments in the upper levels of the five-floor house, as the ITAR-TASS reports.

The ANS Baku-based TV Channel has reported today that a criminal case was initiated on the fact of explosion under the article of the country's Criminal Code that assumes responsibility for a negligence that has caused a death or other heavy consequences. The tentative cause of the explosion is in leakage of utility gas.