The Volgograd Region Office of the Investigative Committee has finished criminal proceedings against three local residents: a 39-year-old owner of a shop, his 80-year-old father and a 35-year-old worker they employed. They are charged with executing work that does not meet safety requirements and caused death of two or more people under Part 3 of Article 238 of the RF Criminal Code.

According to investigators, in May 2017, the father of the shopkeeper employed the local resident via a free Internet advertisement website so that he connected the shop owned by his son to city’s water supply networks. To do that the worker had to use special equipment to prick soil under the road in Panfilovskaya Street in Sovetsky District of the city in the direction of a water well located near No 60 in Universitetsky Avenue. The investigators discovered that the said work had not been authorized by Sovetsky District Administration, Volgogradgorgaz or any other controlling bodies.

About 11 AM on 16 May 2017, the said worker was pricking the soil when he damaged a gas pipe and called an emergency team of Volgogradgorgaz, in the presence of whom, the gas explosion happened toppling the 3^rd section of No 60 in Universitetsky Avenue. The explosion killed 4 people: a worker of the gas service and three tenants of the house, while over 10 people were injured.

More than 20 forensic examinations, including traceological, explosion technical, physical and chemical, merchandising and others, were run during the probe. Specialists established that the cause for the incident was the gas explosion with its source located on the first floor of the damaged building.

During the investigation, all the accused admitted the guilt only in part. There are 18 files containing evidence against them.

At present, the criminal case with signed indictments has been referred to court.