ISTANBUL 

At least three people were killed and five others injured on Thursday in an explosion believed to have been caused by a gas leak in a residential building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, an official said.

“As a result of the explosion in the high-rise building, three people died, five people were injured and 20 were rescued,” Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said on Telegram.

Residents of the 16-storey building were being provided with medical and psychological assistance, he added.

According to him, several floors and four apartments were destroyed, and the damaged structures were being dismantled with the help of mobile cranes and rescue personnel.