MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A gas-air mixture explosion rocked a brick building in the Sterlitamak city of Russia's Bashkortostan Republic on Saturday, injuring 16 people and forcing the evacuation of 15 others.
According to the Bashkortostan branch of Russia's Emergencies Ministry, no fire followed the blast, and 42 personnel with 15 units of equipment were deployed for the response.
Bashkortostan is a Russian federal subject about 1,200 km east of Moscow. ■
