Two dead, nine hurt in building blast

TWO people were killed and nine injured in an explosion that ripped through a 12-storey apartment building in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

A local prosecutor said initial signs were that the blast was caused by an explosive device, the Interfax agency reported.
Interfax, quoting its own correspondent in the city, said emergency workers had sealed off access to the building. It did not say what had caused the blast or give its exact time.

"The first to the fourth floors of a 12-storey building have been destroyed," it quoted the regional deputy director of the Emergency Situations Ministry, Nikolai Shustov, as saying.

The resort is a popular holiday destination for Russians.