37 dead in Russian shopping mall fire

Moscow, March 26
At least 37 people were killed in a fire in a shopping mall in the south central Russian city of Kemerovo on Sunday, while many others are missing, officials said.

Earlier reports said 69 people, including 40 children, were missing. Firefighters are working at the scene to search for the missing, Xinhua reported.

Around 120 people were evacuated from the burned building, of which more than 1,000 square meters were ripped through by the deadly fire, according to local news agency Sputnik.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry has planned to dispatch more rescuers to the scene, Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said.

The cause of fire at the shopping mall still remains unclear.