Officials said 20 people remained hospitalized following the blast. Chechnya's chief prosecutor, Valery Kuznetsov, said investigators believed the most likely cause of the explosion was a natural-gas leak.
"So far the main reason under consideration is a gas explosion because we have found gas cylinders at the site. We are considering several versions, including a terrorist act, but the main version at this time is a gas explosion," Kuznetsov said.
Kuznetsov later said no traces of explosives had been found at the site.
The explosion caused the two-story building in the town of Kurchaloi, east of the capital Grozny, to collapse.
The Kurchaloi barracks houses a special Defense Ministry security unit.
(newsru.con, ITAR-TASS, Interfax)
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"So far the main reason under consideration is a gas explosion because we have found gas cylinders at the site. We are considering several versions, including a terrorist act, but the main version at this time is a gas explosion," Kuznetsov said.
Kuznetsov later said no traces of explosives had been found at the site.
The explosion caused the two-story building in the town of Kurchaloi, east of the capital Grozny, to collapse.
The Kurchaloi barracks houses a special Defense Ministry security unit.
(newsru.con, ITAR-TASS, Interfax)
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
SUBSCRIBE For weekly news and in-depth analysis on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia's North Caucasus by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Caucasus Report."
