Kemerovo fire in Russia: Harrowing images show aftermath of 700C inferno which left 64 people dead, including children

1/8

These harrowing images show the aftermath of a fire at a shopping mall in Russia that claimed scores of lives, including children.

Over 60 people were killed when flames swept through the upper floors of the Winter Cherry complex in Kemerovo, Siberia.

It houses a cinema and soft play centre and was packed with families on the first weekend of school holidays when the 700C inferno took hold.

Footage showed terrified survivors leaping from windows as black smoke billowed from the top floors and roof.

Devastation: the smouldering remains of the mall

One group was filmed trying to batter their way of out a staircase through a jammed emergency exit. It has been claimed that staff routinely locked fire doors to prevent gatecrashers from entering without paying.

Survivors told how the fire started on the fourth floor play area yesterday afternoon, with intense heat causing bouncy castles to burst into flame.

64 people died in the fire at the shopping centre in Russia

Two of the three cinemas “collapsed” from the fourth to the third floors.

Emergency services said a team of 600 rescuers, who spent 17 hours fighting the flames, were still struggling to reach upper floors this morning.

Firefighters spray water onto the inferno at the mall in Russia

Vladimir Puchkov, Russia’s emergency situations minister, said at least 64 people were confirmed to have been killed. Six bodies are yet to be recovered and 41 children remain unaccounted for.

The Investigative Committee, which handles major incidents, said 44 survivors had sought medical help, of whom 10 were still in hospital.

The mall, a converted Soviet-era sweet factory in the industrial city, was described as a “labyrinth” with few windows, one main staircase, one lift shaft and one escalator. Witnesses said fire alarms failed to go off and there were no sprinklers.

Kemerovo high school teacher Tatiana Darsalia was confirmed dead in the fire

It opened in 2013 and also included a petting zoo, bowling alley and trampolines.

Nadezhda Suddenok, its owner, is among four people who have been detained for questioning by officials investigating the cause. Russian president Vladimir Putin “expressed his deep condolences to the relatives and loved ones of those who died”.

Fire broke out in a play area on the fourth floor. Veronika Trusova is among the missing children

A mother, Yulia, said: “It all was happening right in front of my eyes, I was sitting at the sofa opposite the play zone.

"The fire grew within seconds, smoke covered all around. It was a miracle that we survived.”

Viktoria Arkhipenko is also among those missing

One girl, Maria Moroz, 13, messaged from the cinema: “We are on fire,” adding: “Looks like this is farewell from me.”

Among the missing are eight girls from one class in Treschevsky village — all 11 or 12 years old. In a heartrending final phone call Viktoria ‘Vika’ Pochankina told her aunt: “Everything is burning. The doors are blocked. I can’t go out, I can’t breathe.”

Dozens of children are missing and feared dead following the fire

Her aunt Evgenia said: “She told me, ‘Auntie, tell all my family I love them. Tell mum that I loved her...’”

The MP for Kemerovo, Anton Gorelkin, said: “This is horrendous. I find it very hard to find words to speak about children who were burned alive.

A firefighter at the scene of the deadly inferno

"People who are guilty in this must be punished. Locked fire exits which turned the shopping mall into a trap.

"Children that died next to fire exits. They knew where to run, but doors were locked.

“People whose pockets were filling with millions from this shopping mall knew that one day this money will smell of blood.”

A key beneficiary of the hopping mall in Kemerovo— capital of Russia’s main coal mining region — was named as emigre billionaire Denis Shtengelov, the owner of KDV Group, who now resides in Australia.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT