By Nawal Sayed
CAIRO, Jan. 3 (SEE) - Egypt expressed
sincere condolences to Russia following death of 37 persons at least and injury
of dozens owing to a building fall, according to an official statement released
Thursday by the foreign ministry.
"Egypt's
government and people support Russia in this sadly incident," the
statement added.
The Thirty-seven bodies were recovered from the
rubble of a Russian apartment building that partially collapsed this week
after an apparent gas explosion, Russian news agencies reported on
Thursday.
The blast in the early hours of December 31
damaged 48 apartments in a 10-storey building in the industrial city of
Magnitogorsk, some 1,700 km east of Moscow.
Russian Emergencies Ministry members take part in a search operation at the site of a partially collapsed apartment block in Magnitogorsk, Russia in this handout photo released by Russian Emergencies Ministry January 3, 2019. Russia's Ministry for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
The death toll has progressively risen in the
past few days as rescuers battle blisteringly cold temperatures to recover
people trapped under the rubble.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes
major crimes, has said it is still investigating the exact cause of the blast. Gas
explosions are relatively common in Russia because of ageing
infrastructure and poor safety regulations surrounding gas use.