Suspected gas blast rocks Grozny flats

At least 11 people were killed today when an explosion ripped through an apartment block in the Chechen capital Grozny.

The chief regional prosecutor said the blast was probably caused by a natural gas leak.

The bodies of 11 victims were pulled from the rubble: eight children, two women and one man. Several of the dead were members of one family.

Three other children were injured in the blast, which caused part of the five storey building to collapse, emergency officials said.

Prosecutor Vladimir Kravchenko said it appeared it was not a terrorist act. Gas explosions are common in apartment buildings across Russia, and often cause many deaths.