Gas explosion kills three in Uzbekistan

An explosion of a gas-air mixture in a two-story residential building has killed three people and injured four others in Kattakurgan district of central Samarkand region, the Uzbek Emergency Ministry said on Sunday.

The explosion occurred at 7 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Sunday, which caused a partial collapse of the building, the ministry said in a statement cited by Xinhua news agency.

Preliminary results show that the outburst was caused by a gas leak on the first floor of the apartment, the statement said, adding that investigations are still underway.