Four children have died as a result of a massive fire that has all but wiped out a children’s camp in the Russian Far East.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday, injuring several children and adults at the Khabarovsk region camp. Unnamed law enforcement officials suggested that a malfunctioning portable heater may have caused the blaze that destroyed the camp’s tents, which had accommodated 189 children aged 7 to 15.
Three girls and one boy were killed as a result of the fire, the state-run TASS news agency quoted the regional administration as saying Tuesday.
Governor Sergei Furgal promised financial assistance to the first victim’s family.
Six children have been hospitalized and five adults treated after the fire, Russia’s Health Ministry said Tuesday.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has opened criminal cases into manslaughter and a violation of safety standards. It has detained Vitaly Burlakov, the director of the company that owns the camp, and Maxim Kuznetsov, the camp’s director.
