Five Children Killed As Stairs Collapse at Russian School

At least five children have been killed at a Russian school when a staircase collapsed, the country's government said today.

Another four children were injured and 800 people were evacuated after the collapse in the town of Belyayevka, in the south-eastern Urals region of Orenburg, Russia's emergency services ministry said.

A ministry spokeswoman said there were concerns that more children could still be buried under the debris.

"Eleven children have been taken out of the rubble, five of them are dead, four are injured and 800 people were evacuated," she said.

"The rescue work is still in progress, so I can't know for sure if there is still anybody under the rubble."

The accident was caused by the collapse of three flights of stairs connecting the second and third floor of a school building, "presumably because of maintenance works on the roof of the school building," she said.

Interfax news agency said prosecutors had opened a criminal investigation into the accident for possible violations of building safety regulations.

The accident spread debris over a wide area at the school, which taught children aged between 7 and 17.

Many Russian schools are in poor condition after decades of neglect, though the Kremlin has pledged to renovate the worst of them.