NAZRAN, Russia 8 killed in building explosion

An explosion ripped though a government building in Russia's Ingushetia province Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring 23, emergency and law enforcement officials said.

An initial investigation suggested a gas leak was to blame, but other possible causes including terrorism were also being considered, said Marat Prokopenkov of the Emergency Situations Ministry's branch in southern Russia.

Rescue workers recovered seven bodies from the rubble of the three-story brick building, which served as the headquarters of the regional bailiffs' service in Ingushetia's main city, Nazran, Prokopenkov said. Another 24 people were pulled from the debris alive, but one of them died in the hospital, he said.