Rescuers continued searching for survivors in the rubble of the damaged block of flats early on Sunday, after pulling eight people out alive and finding six victims, including a 4-year-old girl. The building reportedly housed 21 people.

A drone footage filmed by the rescue team showed the extent of the damage, with nearly a third of the building destroyed, including several flats on top floor.

Emergency workers had to observe several “minutes of silence” to try and detect survivors trapped under concrete blocks.

A total of 15 people have been evacuated, four of them hospitalized.

Thirteen residents have been rescued from the ruins, and three managed to exit the building on their own.

A strong smell of household gas was reported at the site immediately after the explosion. Witnesses recalled people crying for help from under the collapsed floor, RT reported.

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