President Igor Dodon transmitted a message of condolence after an apartment building was rocked by a gas blast in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk on December 31. The chances of taking people out of the rubble alive diminish at a time when the temperatures are below 20 degrees Celsius. Today the number of casualties stands at 21 people, two of whom are children. Another 20 persons were listed as missing, IPN reports.

“In the name of my compatriots and in my personal name, I express our compassion to the Russian people and ask you to transmit our sincere condolences to the grieving families. In these hard moments, we are solidary with the people of Russia and fully support you,” says the message addressed to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

According to the Russian press, almost 30 persons have been saved after the explosion that shook the ten-story apartment block. A child aged 11 months was recovered alive 36 hours after the blast even if the temperatures were minus 23 degrees Celsius.