The death toll from a gas explosion in an apartment building in eastern Ukraine on Saturday has risen to 13, Interfax news agency reported Sunday, citing the Emergency Situations Ministry.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko vowed on Saturday to hold accountable those responsible for the gas explosion.
The president expressed his condolences to the victims' families and ordered the government to implement emergency measures and compensation for the victims and the affected residents, the president's press officials said.
Yushchenko also demanded that an investigation be launched into the cause of the blast.
An explosion ripped through an apartment building in the city of Dnipropetrovsk at 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) Saturday, causing nine immediate deaths and injuring 25 others. Emergency officials said the death toll could rise.
Part of the ten-storey building was destroyed, and nearby buildings were also damaged due to strong shock waves sent by the powerful blast.
Rescue efforts were immediately launched and Prime Minister Victor Yanucovych arrived at the scene in the industrial city some600 km from the capital Kiev. Source: Xinhua
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