2018 Kemerovo fire

2018 Kemerovo fire
Winter Cherry complex after fire
Date25 March 2018 (2018-03-25)
VenueWinter Cherry complex
LocationKemerovo, Russia
Coordinates55°20′37″N 86°04′40″E / 55.34361°N 86.07778°E / 55.34361; 86.07778
TypeFire
Deaths60[1]
Non-fatal injuries79[2]
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Winter Cherry complex
Winter Cherry complex

On 25 March 2018 at 16:00 local time (9:00 UTC), a fire engulfed the Winter Cherry shopping mall and entertainment complex (Russian: Зимняя вишня, romanizedZimnyaya vishnya) in Kemerovo, Russia. It killed at least 60 people (more than half of whom were children) according to official statements. The blaze started somewhere on the top floor of the four-story complex, and people were seen jumping from windows to escape it. 100 people were evacuated, and another 20 were rescued.[3][4] Others claim the number of people killed in the fire is being covered up, and that the real figure runs into the hundreds.[5][6] According to the Russian authorities, the source of these rumors was a Ukrainian prankster who called the morgue posing as an emergency services officer. In 2018, he uploaded recordings of these calls to his YouTube channel and confirmed the calls during subsequent interviews.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ Следователями получены заключения всех генетических экспертиз по уголовному делу о пожаре в Кемерово
  2. ^ Число пострадавших при пожаре в Кемерове возросло до 79 (in Russian). 29 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Russia fire: Children killed in Kemerovo shopping centre blaze". BBC News. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Fire tragedy at Kemerovo shopping mall leaves at least 64 dead". TASS. 26 March 2018.
  5. ^ Mariya Petkova (28 March 2018). "Kemerovo fire: 'Mum, I love you, I'm dying'". Al Jazeera Media Network. Retrieved 31 March 2018. According to Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, local people reject the official number that has been announced. They believe that the number of victims could be anywhere between 150 and 400 and that the authorities are hiding bodies.
  6. ^ a b "They say Russia is trying to cover up the 'real' death toll in the Kemerovo fire. Is it true?". Meduza. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Police charge a Ukrainian prankster with calling several morgues in Kemerovo". Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Russia Investigates Ukrainian Blogger for Spreading Fake News About 300 Deaths in Kemerovo Fire". 28 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2024.