At least one person dead after explosion at Moscow shopping centre

Police guard an entrance of the Central Children’s Store in Moscow. Picture: Moscow News Agency via AP

At least one person was killed on Sunday in an explosion at a prominent retail building in central Moscow, emergency services said.

The blast happened on the third floor of the Central Children’s Store shopping mall, on Lubyanka Square.

Emergency services said the blast was caused by a gas cylinder, according to the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency.

Two of the injured were taken to hospital, Moscow’s Department of Health said.

City mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the incident was likely caused by a technical malfunction of equipment.

The building was evacuated following the explosion.

Russia’s investigative committee has opened an investigation into the incident.