Gas explosion kills 7 in Russia's Sakhalin region

Valery Limarenko, governor of the Sakhalin Region, said the rescuers are still searching for another three people.

The local Tymovskoye government said on social media that improper storage and use of household natural gas tanks caused the explosion.

The explosion occurred around 5 a.m. Moscow time (0200 GMT), and damaged part of the building, Russia's state news agency TASS reported, quoting the local emergency service.

Tymovskoye is about 500 km north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital city of the Sakhalin region. - BERNAMA