At least 64 dead after devastating fire in Siberian mall

The Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal investigation into the violations and said it had detained four people for questioning, including the director of the company who owns the mall. The committee said it was still looking whether to detain as a suspect the security guard that had turned off the fire alarm.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that the fire is one of the most deadly in recent Russian history. In 2009 153 people were killed in the Siberian city of Perm when a fire broke out in a club.

Regional authorities have declared three days of mourning. Russia’s main state channel, Channel 1, said it was canceling entertainment programs in view of the catastrophe, TASS, the state news agency, reported.

Russia’s emergencies ministry said the identification of bodies has begun. Psychologists have been dispatched to provide support to victims’ relatives. Over 650 emergency service workers were deployed at the site of the fire, the ministry said.

Much of the mall’s roof has collapsed and workers were checking the building’s structural integrity.

Article Appeared @http://abcnews.go.com/International/64-dead-devastating-fire-siberian-mall/story?id=54010943

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