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Death toll in Ukraine hospital blast rises to 16


    KIEV (Reuters) - The death toll from an explosion in a Ukrainian hospital has risen to 16, more than double the number reported Monday when the blast happened, Interfax news agency said Wednesday.

    Oxygen tanks in the hospital in the eastern city of Luhansk exploded, destroying a cardiac ward. Earlier reports said seven people had been killed.

    "The emergency rescue work has ended. As a result four people were rescued from under the rubble and the bodies of 16 people were found," Emergencies Ministry spokesman Igor Krol was quoted as saying.

    Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko rushed to the region on Monday after the explosion, which took place a day after Ukraine's presidential election. Tymoshenko will face opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich on a February 7 run-off vote.

    (Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)