One killed, several missing in Russia's Astrakhan building collapse

MOSCOW - A woman was killed and several others were missing after a section of a five-story residential building collapsed in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan on Thursday evening, Regional Governor Igor Babushkin announced on his social media channel.

The incident happened at 6:27 pm local time (1427 GMT) following a crack in the wall of the building, the governor said, quoting the regional branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Rescuers evacuated 213 people, including 37 children, from the building, and three schools in the city provided temporary accommodation for the affected residents, he added.

Local media reported that the collapse happened when the load-bearing structures of the building were damaged by workers doing repairs in one of the apartments.