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Scavengers blamed in apartment gas explosion v BY DMITRY LOVETSKY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARKHANGELSK, RUSSIA - Police searched for two homeless scavengers who apparently stole bronze fittings from gas pipes and triggered an explosion at an apart ment building Tuesday that killed at least 32 people, authorities said. The blast sheared off a section of the nine-story prefabricated apartment building in this White Sea port about 600 miles north of Moscow. Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andriyanova said two-dozen people were res cued from the rubble. Search crews clambered over the wreckage, using power saws to cut through piles of building materials as cranes lifted the biggest beams and panels. The ex plosion also blew out windows in neighboring buildings. Alexei Kalinin, deputy to the top regional emergency official, said 32 people — including five children — were confirmed dead. Prosecutors opened a criminal investigation. Authorities were searching for two men, said Igor Avtushko, a spokesman for the regional Interior Ministry. The men allegedly were carry ing metal pipes and tools, and po lice believed they had opened the gas valves in order to steal the bronze fittings that seal them. Avtushko said authorities found fixtures missing in two neighboring buildings but crews were able to fix the gas leaks in time. “These damned vagabonds un screwed these valves a hundred times in the past, but then it didn’t lead to explosions," said Andrei Seleznyov, 52, who lives in a neigh boring building. He added that they had been systematically steal ing the hardware. Thieves pilfer power lines, mu nicipal facilities and industrial equipment throughout Russia in search for copper, bronze and oth er metals to sell for scrap. In addition, neglect of safety precautions has led to frequent gas explosions in Russian apartment buildings and public facilities. Authorities earlier had feared sabotage or terrorism, even though the first emergency crews to respond reported a strong odor of gas. Tension is high in Russia after a series of terrorist attacks blamed on Chechen rebels. In 1999, explosions blamed on rebels ripped through apartment build ings in Moscow and two other cities, killing about 300.people. Tuesday’s blast hit at 3:25 a.m. local time, when most residents of the building were in bed. “We were awakened by a terri ble noise," a 40-year-old man who identified himself as Igor and lives in the adjoining section of the apartment building, told Arkhangelsk’s Pravda Severa newspaper. “The wall of our bed room came crashing down on the bed. ... We were in a state of shock." “Through a pillar of dust I saw the street, just our street instead of the wall," he said. He described hearing “heartbreakingcries." Vadim and Anna Kurochkin were awake in their ninth-floor apartment when the blast oc curred and they were thrown out on their sofa, landing safely with no injuries. Their 9-year-old son, Artyom, was on the balcony, which mirac ulously didn’t collapse, and he was rescued'by firefighters, Irina Budnik, a spokeswopian for the lo cal fire brigade told Pravda Severa. Building residents had report ed smelling gas to the local emer gency gas service before the ex plosion, but that its workers didn’t come until the blast occurred, NTV television said. Rescue crews and equipment were dispatched by air from Moscow and northern Karelia to help.in the search. Investigators continue search for Ohio highway shooting suspect BY CHRIS STADELMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS, OHIO - The man wanted by police in a deadly string of highway sniper attacks has a history of fnental illness and is be lieved to have a semiautomatic pistol and ammunition, authori ties said Tuesday. Charles A. McCoy Jr., 28, lived with his mother within miles of where the gunman’s bullets killed a passenger, shattered wind shields, dented school buses and drilled into homes and a school. “McCoy has had mental health issues in the past and is current ly not on medication," the Franklin County Sheriffs Office said in a bulletin released to po lice departments across the coun try. “He is believed to have suici dal or homicidal tendencies." Authorities identified McCoy as a suspect Monday and released his picture, vehicle description and license plate. Chief Deputy Steve Martin would not say what evidence led investigators to McCoy, but news paper and television reports said Tuesday that McCoy’s family gave authorities at least one of his guns. The Columbus Dispatch, citing unidentified sources, said a rela tive contacted police and said McCoy could be a suspect. It said McCoy’s father, Charles Sr., later gave police a 9 mm Beretta hand gun, and on Monday it was ballis tically matched to some of the bul let fragments recovered in the shootings. The bulletin said McCoy was still believed to have a semiauto matic pistol and ammunition. Martin’s office, which is in charge of the investigation, would not release any details about the case Tuesday. Since May, two-dozen sniper shootings have targeted vehicles and buildings around Interstate 270, which circles Columbus, and other highways. Most of the shoot ings have happened since October; the latest was on Feb. 14. Investigators filed an arrest war rant late Monday for McCoy on a charge of felonious assault in a Dec. 15 shooting that damaged a house. McCoy’s parents could not be reached Tuesday. No one an swered the door at his home, and a hand-written sign on the door at his father’s house a few miles away said, “We do not want to speak to the media." McCoy’s mother, Ardith, filed a missing person report with Columbus police on Monday, say ing she had not seen her son since Friday. She said he was upset over a possible move and withdrew $600 from a bank account, saying he was going to a restaurant-bar known for its array of video games. Neighbors on McCoy’s street of tidy, vinyl-sided homes said they didn’t know much about the sus pect or his mother. “They pretty much stayed in their house when they were home except when he was working in the yard," said Nicole Sewald, 28, who lives across the street. Her 8 year-old son attends Hamilton Central Elementary School, where one of the sniper’s bullets struck a window in November. The McCoys moved there about a year ago, did some repairs and put the house back up for sale, she said. In the three most recent shoot ings, witnesses described seeing someone aiming at them while standing next to a car. Their de scriptions of the suspect and car were similar to information the sheriff’s office released Monday. The suspect is 5-foot-8, 185 pounds with brown hair and green eyes, the sheriffs office said Monday. The car is a dark green 1999 Geo Metro with a black hood. From the beginning, Martin had said investigators believe the shooter is familiar with the area around 1-270. Although the last four shootings were on other high ways, most of those that occurred through January were within about a 10-mile stretch of the in- • terstate. WOULD YOU KNOW IT IF YOU DID? Every year, thousands of young people—mostly females—struggle with eating disorders. Many are high school or college students. Many don't know what they're dealing with. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa and bulimia. They can have serious, long-term health effects and, in some cases, can be fatal. A weekly education and support group is available for individuals age 14 and older who believe they may have an eating disorder or who have previously been treated for an eating disorder. The group is led by a specially trained nurse or resident Eating Disorders Support Group Wednesdays, 6-7:15 p.m. (excluding the first Wednesday of the month) Richland Springs, Eleven Medical Park Dr., Palmetto Health Richland To register, call 434-4813 A family support group also is available on the first Wednesday of the month from 6-7:15 p.m. To register, call 434-4813. palmettohealth.com The Eating Disorders Support Groups are a collaborative effort between Palmetto Health Behavioral Care. USC School of Medicine. Department of Neuropsychiatry, the Department of Mental Health, and SC NAM! (National Alliance for the Mentally III). _________ M I I M I “ I q