Russia to Revise Gas Safety Rules After Deadly Apartment Blasts

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an overhaul of regulations on the use of gas-fired appliances in apartment buildings, the press office of his deputy has said.

"The Russian government has ordered authorities in charge of installation and use of gas-fired appliances to work out a set of measures to prevent accidents… The existing regulations will be promptly revised", the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko’s office reads.

A gas explosion collapsed a section of a 10-storey building in the southern Urals city of Magnitogorsk on New Year’s Eve, killing 39 people and leaving hundreds homeless.

On Monday, a less powerful blast hit an apartment building in the town of Shakhty in the Rostov region, killing one person. At least four others are reportedly missing.

READ MORE: No Traces of Explosives Found at Building Collapse Site in Magnitogorsk