Two dead, 8 injured in Russian gas blast

A gas explosion in an apartment building in Russia's south has killed at least two people and injured eight others.

The Russian emergency situations ministry said an entire stairwell in the building in Volgograd collapsed in Tuesday's blast.

Andrei Bocharov, governor of the Volgograd region, said in televised comments that two people have been confirmed dead, eight injured. Three of them are in hospital in a serious condition.

Footage from the scene showed firefighters and emergency workers clearing the rubble at the four-storey building with the entire stairwell missing.

Bocharov said investigators believe the explosion occurred after one of the tenants tried to get connected to the gas grid without proper authorisation.