US diplomat among 4 hurt in Moscow apartment explosion
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Firefighters on a ladder mark a big crack on the wall of a damaged apartment building after an explosion in downtown Moscow, Thursday, May 22, 2014. The apartment building in downtown Moscow was damaged by an explosion, which officials said was caused by a natural gas leak. (AP Photo/ Pavel Golovkin) (The Associated Press)
An explosion in an apartment in central Moscow believed to have been caused by natural gas has injured four people including a U.S. diplomat.
The explosion took place about 11 a.m. (0700 GMT) in a nine-story building on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, one of the Russian capital's main thoroughfares. It sprayed glass shards and metal fragments over a wide swath and left a sizeable crack in the building's brick facade.
A statement from the US Embassy said a diplomat employed there was among the injured. It did not give further details.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moscow police said four people in total were injured, two of whom were hospitalized.
Deputy Mayor Alexander Gorbenko said images from a security camera indicate the explosion was caused by gas, according to the Interfax news agency.