MOSCOW: Eight people were killed in a gas explosion and ensuing blaze at a wooden apartment building in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, the emergencies ministry said Sunday.

Seven people including a baby were injured in the blast, according to a local official of the ministry, Dmitry Kudriavtsev.

The fire destroyed half of the two-storey building on the outskirts of Irkutsk. The building contained eight apartments, with a total of 36 residents.