The current temperature in the city of Magnitogorsk, home to one of Russia's largest steel plants in the Urals some 1,700 km (1,050 miles) east of Moscow, is -17 Celsius (1.4 Fahrenheit).

Located in the mineral-rich southern Urals, Magnitogorsk, with a population of more than 400,000, is home to one of Russia's largest steel producers.

Russian investigators said Friday that a New Year's Eve blast that killed 39 people was likely the result of a gas explosion, dismissing reports that the Islamic State group was behind it.