#11-year-old girl among three killed in Russia gas explosion

Three are dead, including an 11-year-old girl, after a gas explosion at an apartment building in Solidarnost, a Russian village south of Moscow, according to reports.

The blast partially destroyed the two-story building, said Igor Artamonov, head of the Lipetsk region, according to Reuters.

Six others were injured, and of those five were hospitalized, said Vasily Razmunov, head of the local emergencies agency, according to the report.

Federal investigators said the explosion occurred in the center of the building, and that a criminal case over unmet safety requirements had been opened.