MOSCOW, Feb 26: An explosion thought to have been caused by a gas leak tore through a cafe in a city in Russia's Siberia region on Thursday, 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 in the city of Chita, about 4,500km 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. -Reuters
