Deadly fire kills at least 37 in Russia mall
At least 37 people were killed in a deadly fire in a shopping center in Russia's Siberia, which was more crowded than usual on a Sunday afternoon. Another 70 are still missing, authorities say. Videos on social media showed people jumping out of windows of the Winter Cherry mall in Kemerovo city. 600 firefighters fought for more than six hours to control the blaze.
Video shows smoke billowing out of the mall
Fire spread quickly through the mall full of combustible materials
The fire started around 5pm in a cinema hall. The roof of two halls collapsed, officials said. It spread rapidly through the sauna, bowling alley, entertainment center and rows of shops. A 1,500 sq meter area was ravaged. Initially, authorities announced five people had been killed, but the toll increased swiftly. Local channels showed images of thick black smoke billowing out of the building.
Several factors hampered rescue, victims too burnt to identify
Rescuers had to move slowly due to the smoke and danger of the building collapsing, but they managed to evacuate around 100 people. It was complicated further as authorities didn't know how many people were there inside, or where to look for them. The 37 recovered bodies were too charred to identify, but they include nine children, officials said.
