MOSCOW, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A private house explosion and fire in Russia's Lipetsk region late Tuesday killed two women and a one-year-old child, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Wednesday.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said the blast in the city of Lipetsk caused a fire that partially collapsed the house and damaged an outbuilding and five vehicles.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire may have been caused by a gas leak and explosion.
Artamonov dismissed some social media claims that the explosion was caused by a Ukrainian drone strike, saying the information "does not correspond to reality." ■