©Reuters. A view shows a multi-storey residential building damaged following an alleged drone attack in St. Petersburg, Russia, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer
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ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) – Two buildings were damaged and people evacuated on Saturday morning in St Petersburg, Russia, after local residents reported a large explosion that blew out windows.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said “an incident” had taken place in the northeastern neighborhood of Krasnogvardeyskiy. There were no casualties, but residents were evacuated from their apartments, Beglov said, without explaining the cause of the accident or its nature.
Reuters video taken at the scene showed the damaged facade of a building with broken windows, damaged balconies, shattered glass and debris on the ground.
Citizens in the damaged homes told Reuters they heard strange sounds followed by an explosion and fire.
“I first heard a whistle, because I had just opened the window, then a pop, a fire and an apartment full of smoke, the window flew away,” Elena, a local resident, told Reuters. She said this happened after 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT).
Russian media reported that the crash may have been caused by the shooting down of a Ukrainian drone, which was heading towards a nearby fuel depot. There has been no official confirmation of this from Russian authorities or state media.