Gas explosion in southern Russia kills 5 people and injures another 4

MOSCOW (AP) — A gas explosion in a residential building in southern Russia has killed five people and injured another four. Local emergency officials said the blast occurred early Thursday in the city of Cherkessk in the Karachay-Cherkessia region, which borders Georgia. They said the explosion severely damaged 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.