The suspect fired a flare into the dance floor, which was occupied by several hundred people at the time.
At least 15 people have been killed in a fire recorded this morning at a nightclub in the Russian city of Kostroma, with about 270,000 inhabitants, located on the banks of the Volga and 300 northeast of the capital Moscow. The first studies also indicate the existence of numerous injuries of different nature. Local authorities indicated that 250 people were evacuated from the establishment.
The same sources stated that the police had arrested the alleged person responsible for the fire. “A suspect has been identified and arrested for an illegal act in one of Kostroma’s nightclubs,” they said.
Russian news agencies said the bar fire may have started after a drunk man set off a flare on the dance floor. According to Tass, citing emergency services sources, the suspect was “with a woman in the bar, to whom he offered flowers, while holding a flare in his hand.” “Then he went to the dance floor and shot her,” the source said.
The region’s governor, Sergei Sitnikov, initially claimed 13 people were killed and five injured, but rescue services later reported that they had found the remains of two more people. “Two new bodies have been discovered. This means that the total number of victims is now 15,” a source of the security teams told the Russian agency Tass.
The commission of inquiry confirmed that it had initiated “criminal proceedings for a crime” that “killed many people through negligence”, and specified that forensic technicians and doctors were working at the scene of the incident.
State TV footage shows dozens of firefighters and emergency services fighting the massive fire that engulfed the one-story building.
Local emergency services said they received the first reports of the fire around 2 a.m. and the flames had set fire to 3,500 square meters. According to Governor Sitnikov, the flames were extinguished by 7:30 am.
On its website, Polygon describes itself as a quintessentially Russian ‘stolovaya’ – a restaurant that serves traditional dishes and is a cocktail bar in the evenings. The place was very popular among the workers of the city.
Kostroma is one of the oldest cities in Russia and is known for its medieval architecture and monasteries.
This catastrophe is reminiscent of previous disasters recorded in the country. In March 2018, a fire at a shopping center in the Siberian town of Kemerovo killed 60 people, including about 40 children and teenagers. In 2009, 156 people died in a massive fire at a nightclub in Perm, in the Urals.
Source: La Verdad
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