Gas explosion in southern Russia kills 4 people and injures another 4

MOSCOW (AP) — A gas explosion in a residential building in southern Russia has killed four people and injured another four. Local emergency officials said the blast occurred early on Thursday in the city of Cherkessk in the Karachay-Cherkessia region, which borders Georgia. The emergency officials said the explosion partially destroyed two upper stories of a five-story residential building. Russian law enforcement has launched a criminal probe, suspecting safety violations. Gas explosions in residential buildings are fairly common in Russia. In August, one such explosion destroyed a section of a five-story residential building in the Ural Mountains, killing 11 people.