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The first Department of the Head Office of the Investigative Committee continues investigating a gas explosion in a block of flats in the town of Yaroslavl that killed 7 residents. The charges of a crime under Part 1 of Article 238 of the RF Penal Code (fulfilling works or rendering services that do not meet safety standards) have been pressed against CEO of OAO Yargazservis Sergei Skornyakov.

By now the investigators have revealed multiple breaches of the federal laws that contributed to the crime. It has been revealed that in July 2013, ZAO Upravdom of Fruenzensky District and owners of flats concluded an agreement on the building management. ZAO Upravdom of Fruenzensky District in turn concluded with ZAO Repair and Operation Section No 2 of Frunzensky District a general contract for maintenance (including servicing) and the repair of the communal property in blocks of flats.  The servicing organizations had not checked or cleared ventilations in the building for two years.

Technical maintenance and repair of the gas equipment inside the building was provided by OAO Yargazservis. The last technical maintenance of the gas equipment was carried out not in full. Gas stoves in 24 flats were not examined, while some of them were made in 1970 and required annual servicing. The workers of Yargazservis did not make protocols when they were denied the access to gas equipment inside flats and when it was not possible to maintain the equipment. They also did not report to competent authorities about those facts.

The State Housing Oversight Department of Yaroslavl Region regulates the relationships in the area of capital repairs of the communal property in blocks of flat. The City Management Department of the Yaroslavl Mayor’s Office organizes power, heat, gas and water supply as well as create conditions for managing the buildings.

Considering the violations revealed in the activity of the said organizations, the investigators have filed requests with the Governor of Yaroslavl Region Sergei Yastrebov and acting Mayor of Yaroslavl Aleksei Malyutin offering to take necessary measures to eliminate and prevent the violations of laws and conditions that contributed to the crime and to discipline the officials guilty of those violations.

The investigation is ongoing.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                                              V.I. Markin