Russia explosion and apartment building collapse death toll reaches 21

Rescue crews said a total of 21 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Russia as hopes of finding any additional survivors dimmed Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a 10-month-old boy was pulled out alive after spending 35 hours in subzero conditions following a deadly New Year's Eve gas explosion in the city of Magnitogorsk.

The baby was flown to Moscow for further medical treatment and was reportedly in stable condition.

More than two days after the blast ripped through the 10-story apartment block, 20 people remained unaccounted for on Wednesday.

Most of the building's inhabitants were sleeping at the time of the explosion.

Temperatures have dipped to minus 11 degrees in recent days.

The dead include two children. Six people have also been rescued alive from the rubble.

A gas leak is suspected and Russian authorities have said no traces of explosives have been found in the wreckage examined by investigators so far.

Yuliya Talmazan

Yuliya Talmazan is a journalist based in London.