13 October 2007: Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.
At least nine people have been killed and 21 others injured after a powerful gas explosion caused part of a residential building to collapse in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk. Rescue teams are continuing to work at the scene. Several people have been pulled alive from the rubble.
The explosion happened in a nine-storey building at about 11am local time.

The city's gas supply service says the explosion was caused by a pressure surge. Gas supplies in the area have been cut as a safety precaution.
There are still people trapped under the rubble,
their relatives are looking on
Emergency workers say efforts to dig out people still trapped under the rubble are likely to continue throughout the night.

Reporter Vlada Khmelnitskaya from the ‘Inter Television’ TV company says dozens of distraught relatives are looking on, praying their missing loved ones will be pulled from the debris alive. She says many of them are crying.

The Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry says that there is still hope of finding people alive.

It is still unclear how many people were inside the building when it was ripped apart by the explosion. Lists of residents and possible visitors are being compiled.

A criminal case into the incident has been launched.

The Ukrainian president has called on the prime minister to find out what caused the explosion and for the Government to provide all necessary aid to families of the victims.

Dnepropetrovsk, in the eastern half of the country, is Ukraine's third largest city.