Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Province, Russia, February 14, 2023
Photo: diaconia.ru
Fourteen people, including a two-year-old child, lost their lives when a residential building in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk collapsed as a result of a gas explosion last week.
There was a two-year-old child among the victims, reports Novaya Gazeta. Another nine people were injured.
Representatives of the local Novosibirsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church immediately jumped into action to help those who are now suffering. In addition to the dead and injured, about 30 apartments were also destroyed.
In the first hours after the explosion, head of the diocesan social department, Archpriest Iakov Konkin, and the local dean, Archpriest Sergei Konovalov, visited the scene of the tragedy and handed out the first batch of humanitarian aid, including food, clothing, and medicine.
That same day, employees of the social department also took hot lunches and other basic necessities to victims in temporary accommodation.
The next day, the parishes and monasteries of the Novosibirsk Diocese collected more than 1.6 tons of warm clothing, medicine, bottled water, basic necessities, bedding, jackets, and shoes, which was delivered to the victims at a local social services center. The collection of humanitarian aid is ongoing throughout the diocese.
The local clergy have also been meeting with victims to provide spiritual support, and prays for the repose of the dead and the health of the injured are being offered throughout the diocese.
In his condolences to the governor of the Novosibirsk Province and Metropolitan Nikodim of Novosibirsk, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said: “Sharing with all of you the pain of irreparable loss, I lift up prayers to the Lord that He might grant rest to the souls of the departed in His eternal abode, heal the victims, strengthen and comfort the relatives and friends of the dead, and give them the strength to endure the test that has befallen them with dignity.”
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