Baby found alive after Russia explosion

An 11-month-old baby boy has been pulled from the rubble of an apartment block in Russia, which collapsed on Monday following a suspected gas explosion.

The child, named Ivan, survived overnight beneath the collapsed building in the city of Magnitogorsk, about 1,050 miles from Moscow, where temperatures fell below -26C.

Russian health officials say the boy is in “extremely serious” condition, with “frostbite on his limbs, a head injury and multiple leg fractures”, the BBC reports.

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“Rescuers heard crying. The baby was saved by being in a cradle and warmly wrapped up,” local governor, Boris Dubrovsky, said.

The boy’s mother also survived the explosion, which has claimed at least seven lives. Another 37 people remain unaccounted for, while only six survivors have been found since the explosion, including a 13-year-old boy, The Guardian says.

A criminal investigation into the cause of the blast has reportedly been opened.

Rescue efforts have been suspended until the remains of the building have been secured, which engineers on-site say could take up to 24 hours to complete before the search for survivors can begin again.

“It’s impossible to continue working in such conditions," emergencies ministry chief Yevgeny Zinichev said, adding there is a “real threat of part of the building collapsing”.

The boy has been flown to Moscow for medical treatment.