Kiev, A gas explosion ripped through a block of flats in a town near Kiev on Friday, officials said, with at least one person injured and fears that more may be trapped under the rubble.
The explosion in the five-storey building occurred shortly after 9:00 am (0700 GMT) in the town of Fastiv, 70 kilometres (40 miles) west of the capital, Ukraine's emergency situation service said in a statement.
"As a result of the explosion there was destruction on the third, fourth and fifth floors," it said, adding that rescue workers were at the scene.
"So far we know of one wounded ... people may also be under slabs that collapsed from the fourth and fifth floors," the head of the local health department said on his Facebook page.
Pictures posted to the website of the emergency situation service showed the corner of the apartment block completely destroyed, with balconies ripped out and debris scattered on snow-covered ground.
