Twelve servicemen were killed in a blast that destroyed barracks at the base of the Vostok special task battalion in the Chechen village of Kurchaloi, a spokesman for Chechnya\'s Emergency Situations Department told Interfax. The cause of the explosion has not been established yet, but initial reports said a leakage of household gas may have caused the blast. No gas cylinders have been discovered, however. Explosives have not been found, either. The Military Prosecutor\'s Office of the combined federal troops has launched a probe into the disaster under charges of violating fire safety regulations and negligence. Spokesman for the Military Prosecutor\'s Office Mikhail Renskov said two theories are being considered: a household gas explosion and detonation of an explosive device. Prosecutors, and forensic medical and bomb-disposal experts are working at the scene. The barracks have been destroyed. Twelve servicemen were killed and 20 suffered injuries and were hospitalized, Renskov said. (Interfax)