Arkhangelsk Explosion of 2004
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On March 16, 2004, an explosion destroyed a corner section of a nine-story Soviet-era apartment building in Arkhangelsk, Russia. It happened at 3:25 a.m. local time (UTC +3). The explosion occurred in 120 Avenue of the Soviet Cosmonauts in the October district (Oktyabrskiy rayon) of Arkhangelsk.
The death toll from the explosion was 58 (33 women, 16 men and 9 children). At least 2 of the dead died in a hospital after being rescued.
The explosion came two days after Vladimir Putin won reelection and several weeks after a suicide bombing killed 41 Moscow subway passengers.
Authorities believed the Arkhangelsk explosion could be attributed to two homeless men who stole fittings from gas pipes, causing the blast.