MOSCOW — At least five people have been killed and four others injured in a gas explosion in a residential building in southern Russia.

The blast occurred early in the morning in the city of Cherkessk in the Karachay-Cherkessia region, which borders Georgia, about 1300 kilometers south of the capital Moscow.

The explosion partially destroyed two upper stories of a five-story residential building, emergency officials said.

"It was a loud bang. And then I just couldn't understand, everything started falling from the ceiling onto my face, glass too. I covered myself with my hands. My husband was in the next room. I said that I thought it was a dream," said one female resident.

Emergency responders say they fear what’s left of the building could crumble, potentially harming more people.

Russian law enforcement has launched a criminal probe, suspecting safety violations.

Gas explosions in residential buildings are fairly common in Russia.

In August, a gas explosion destroyed a section of a five-story residential building in the Ural Mountains, killing 11 people.

At the time, the Russian state news agency Tass reported that between the beginning of 2022 and August 2024, at least seven such explosions occurred, killing more than 50 people in total. — Euronews