Many trapped after apartment building blast

At least three people were killed and dozens trapped under rubble when an explosion destroyed part of a apartment building in northern Russia today, officials said.

The blast in the city of Arkhangelsk hit at around 3am local time (midnight Irish time) and injured eight people, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. It cited Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov as saying at least 75 people could be trapped in the rubble.