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Russia shopping mall fire: First funerals held for victims as country observes day of mourning

Russia on Wednesday held a national day of mourning and buried the first victims of a fire that ravaged a busy shopping centre in the city of Kemerovo and killed at least 64 people, most of them children

FP Staff March 28, 2018 20:23:17 IST
Russia on Wednesday held a national day of mourning and buried the first victims of a fire that ravaged a busy shopping centre in the city of Kemerovo and killed at least 64 people, most of them children. Reuters
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Russia on Wednesday held a national day of mourning and buried the first victims of a fire that ravaged a busy shopping centre in the city of Kemerovo and killed at least 64 people, most of them children. Reuters
Flags on government buildings across Russia flew at half mast, state TV and radio stations removed light entertainment shows from their schedules, and lawmakers in Moscow observed a minute of silence. Reuters
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Flags on government buildings across Russia flew at half mast, state TV and radio stations removed light entertainment shows from their schedules, and lawmakers in Moscow observed a minute of silence. Reuters
At a funeral service in a Russian Orthodox church in Kemerovo, about 3,600 kilometer east of Moscow, women wailed as prayers were sung over three coffins, including two small caskets for children. Reuters
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At a funeral service in a Russian Orthodox church in Kemerovo, about 3,600 kilometer east of Moscow, women wailed as prayers were sung over three coffins, including two small caskets for children. Reuters
A day earlier, President Vladimir Putin flew to Kemerovo and promised angry residents that those responsible for what he called criminal negligence would be punished. AP
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A day earlier, President Vladimir Putin flew to Kemerovo and promised angry residents that those responsible for what he called criminal negligence would be punished. AP
The fire at the Winter Cherry mall in the city of Kemerovo on Sunday killed 41 children. Investigators have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire, but the high death toll has been blamed on reported shortcomings in the mall’s safety procedures. Reuters
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The fire at the Winter Cherry mall in the city of Kemerovo on Sunday killed 41 children. Investigators have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire, but the high death toll has been blamed on reported shortcomings in the mall’s safety procedures. Reuters