Gas explosion in North Macedonia kills 3 children

Three children were killed and seven other people seriously injured in a gas cylinder explosion on Sunday morning at the village of Romanovce, some 40 km northeast of North Macedonia's capital Skopje.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the explosion happened at about 10:00 a.m. local time and caused fire in a family house, killing the three kids aged 8, 9 and 11.

The health authorities said that the seven injured were transported to hospitals.

"Four of the patients are in life-threatening condition with high degree of burns. One of the patients is a child with smaller area of burns," said Venko Filipce, minister for health.

Police said that public prosecutor and investigation teams are on the spot investigating the causes of the incident.