MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - Another body has been discovered in the ruins of an apartment building that collapsed early on Monday in the northwest Russian city of Vyborg, near St. Petersburg, bringing the death toll to seven, the emergencies ministry said Wednesday.
The ministry said the fatalities figure is final, as there are no more bodies under the rubble.
The structure, built before World War II, collapsed at about 4 a.m. Moscow time (midnight GMT) on Monday. Prosecutors believe the collapse to have been caused by the dilapidated state of the building.
Rescue work and the recovery operation to carefully clear the debris by hand involved about 360 people, the ministry said, adding that the remaining ruins would be removed mechanically.
The regional Prosecutor's Office has opened criminal negligence proceedings.
