Kiev - A gas main explosion in a Ukrainian apartment building buried dozens of residents Wednesday evening, leaving rescue workers racing against time to find survivors.

The apparent accident took place in a Soviet-era apartment building in Evpatoria, on the Black Sea shore of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

As many as 25 people were potentially buried under the rubble, a Ministry for Emergency Situations spokesman told the Interfax news agency. Four survivors had been pulled to safety by midnight, according to the report.

Firemen and emergency teams were digging through the debris of the 5-story building. Early local television reports said some residents had been killed and others injured, without giving precise numbers.

Gas explosions in residential buildings are a regular occurrence in Ukraine during winter months, as apartment owners frequently tap gas lines or light gas stoves inside their residences to try and keep warm.

A severe economic downturn in Ukraine has exacerbated the problem, forcing cash-strapped energy utility companies to provide central heating at lower base temperatures.

The heat in most Ukrainian apartment buildings is provided at a standard temperature by a utility company on a building-by-building basis, leaving apartment residents no way to adjust heating temperatures in their homes themselves.

During times of plenty Ukrainians deal with overly hot apartments by opening windows even in the dead of winter. The present financial crisis has left many apartments overly cool, forcing residents to search for additional means of staying warm. (dpa)