Russia High-Rise Blast: 14 confirmed dead on New Year's Eve explosion; rescue operations underway

attling freezing temperatures, rescuers have been combing through piles of mangled concrete and metal and trying to stabilise what remains of the walls in the Soviet-era apartment block, which had been home to about 1,100 people.. (Photo by HO / RUSSIAN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS MINISTRY / AFP)

The blast destroyed 35 apartments and damaged 10 more, leaving dozens of people homeless over the New Year -- the biggest holiday of the year in Russia. (Photo by STR / AFP)