“There was practically no entrance”: eyewitnesses told about an explosion in a residential building in Magnitogorsk

On the morning of Monday, December 31, a section of a multi-storey residential building collapsed in Magnitogorsk. To date, the bodies of four dead have been found, five more were injured. About 40 people can still be under the rubble. According to TASS, the authorities of Magnitogorsk have distributed a list of 45 residents of the house, with whom it is not possible to establish a connection. In the previously published list prepared by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, there were 35 names.

At the scene, rescue work continues. According to TASS, unmanned aerial vehicles were connected to the search.

"To monitor the situation from the air, unmanned aircraft of the Magnitogorsk Fire and Rescue Garrison worked," the Emergencies Ministry of the Chelyabinsk region said.

The Emergency Situations Ministry notes that nothing threatens the remaining entrances of a multi-storey building.

“Prior to this, assessment activities have already been carried out. I agree that there is no threat to the rest of the entrances yet, ”RIA Novosti reports Zinchev's words. The Emergencies Ministry added that the explosion destroyed 26 apartments.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the scene of the accident. The head of state immediately went to the operational headquarters of the rescuers, which was located next to the collapsed house. By this time, Emergency Situations Minister Evgeny Zinichev and Russian Minister of Health Veronika Skvortsova were already at headquarters.

At the meeting, the president announced the creation of a government commission to eliminate the consequences of the explosion. Later, Putin visited the victims of the accident in the hospital, called for help in restoring the documents lost by the residents of the house and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

“Today, December 31, on the pre-holiday day, unfortunately, here, in Magnitogorsk, such a misfortune happened. First of all, I want to express my words of condolences to the families of the victims, to assure all the victims that we will do everything to help and support them, ”the president of RIA Novosti quotes.

The head of state also promised to help the victims and recalled that safe conditions should be created at the scene of the accident.

“We need security to ensure that nothing happens around. Moreover, the wall is one, frankly, in an emergency condition, ”the president said.

As the presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said, Putin also called on Russians to remember those who died in Magnitogorsk during the New Year celebration.

“At the beginning of his speech at the operational headquarters, the president said that despite this tragedy, the New Year is already sweeping through our country, starting in the Far East. Of course, everyone celebrates their favorite holiday. Soon the holiday will come to the European part of the country, but in the character of our people there is always compassion for those who lost their lives or suffered as a result of the tragedies, and therefore the president asked everyone at the New Year's table to remember all those who died in Magnitogorsk and keep memory of them "- quotes the press secretary of President Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti.

“No windows, no windows”

A preliminary cause of an explosion in a residential building is the detonation of domestic gas, but other versions are also being studied. 120 people lived in the collapse zone.

“It happened at six, somewhere in the beginning of the seventh. I woke up from the explosion, then from the roar of glass - I instantly knocked out glasses in the hall. Then I got up, ran into the kitchen: there, too, the windows were broken and went very hot from the gas, ”the Ruptly video service quoted Olesya, who lives on the fourth floor in one of the neighboring entrances.

According to her, an explosion in the apartment knocked out one of the doors. “I woke up the child faster, made a wet rag so that she did not breathe burning matter, and rather put it on,” she said

According to her, after the exit to the street, the scale of destruction became clear. “We immediately came out of the vestibule and immediately the debris, there was practically no entrance. Civilians, while there were no rescuers, helped down, ”said Olesya.

Other witnesses to the incident also confirmed that the explosion occurred at 6 am and at first cotton was mistaken for New Year's pyrotechnics.

“They thought that a petard was thrown onto a balcony. We jumped out - no windows, no windows. And so, ”said another resident, pointing to the collapsed section of the house.

“One staircase collapsed from the last to the first floor. At first we thought in the dark that part, because on the other side of the house it was whole, it was not visible. <...> Already when the sun rose, they saw that just one panel wall remained on the main side of the avenue. Everything inside was gone down, ”RIA Novosti cites other eyewitnesses.

The explosion could also be mistaken for an earthquake, say residents of the house in which the accident occurred.

“I thought it was an earthquake again,” we had this recently. But then there was an explosion, the windows began to break, on the way down the whole staircase was in the glass. We knocked on the door, woke the neighbors. Going outside, we saw a flame enveloping the second and third floors, and the balconies of the upper floors also lit up. The fire department arrived quickly, extinguished and took people from the upper floors. Then the arch collapsed and part of the entrance collapsed, ”RIA Novosti quotes the words of the neighboring residents with the collapsed entrance.

According to eyewitnesses, the blast wave was clearly felt by residents of nearby houses.

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“The shock wave was so strong that the bed shook. I don’t know how we didn’t knock out the windows yet, ”an eyewitness told Ruptly to reporters.

After the explosion, requests for help were heard. “The girl in the morning shouted“ Help, save! ”When an explosion occurred. She screamed very hard. Then the man also shouted "Save!". I don’t know what happened to this girl, ”said the witness of the explosion.

Note that the residents of Magnitogorsk provide all possible assistance to the victims. The Magnitogorsk volunteers announced a sufficient amount of clothing brought by the citizens, but called on those who sympathize to provide medicines.

“People carry everything, it seems to me that you can wear the whole Chelyabinsk region here. We already at 11.00 (9.00 Moscow time - RT) realized that there would be enough clothes. It was all overwhelmed with clothes. We need any medications: painkillers, cleaning temperatures, thermometers, cotton wool, bandages, ”RIA Novosti quotes Mariana Ivleva, representative of the Call of the Heart Foundation.