Mourning Day for Victims of Magnitogorsk Building Collapse Set for Wednesday - Governor
January 2 was declared a day of mourning in the Chelyabinsk Region for those killed in a collapse of a block of a residential building in Magnitogorsk, according to the order was published in the official Telegram channel of the region's governor Boris Dubrovsky.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st January, 2019) January 2 was declared a day of mourning in the Chelyabinsk Region for those killed in a collapse of a block of a residential building in Magnitogorsk, according to the order was published in the official Telegram channel of the region's governor Boris Dubrovsky.
"To declare January 2, 2019, a day of mourning in the Chelyabinsk Region," the order says.
According to the document, the state flags of Russia and of the Chelyabinsk Region will be flown half-mast throughout the region on Wednesday.
The governor recommends that institutions, organizations and broadcasting companies cancel entertainment events and programs on the day of mourning.
Chelyabinsk Region's Emergencies Ministry decided to suspend search operations on the site of tragedy for almost a day, until the threat of collapse was eliminated.
"The government commission made a decision to dismantle the overhanging structures and the 7th block during a detailed analysis of the state of the building on its visual inspection and on the data of special devices," the report said.
According to preliminary information, about 6 a.m. local time (01:00 GMT), a natural gas blast hit one of the blocks of a 10-storey building in Magnitogorsk, the Chelyabinsk Region, damaging 48 apartments. At least eight had been killed, with several people saved from the rubble. The fate of dozens of people remains unknown.