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Death toll in fire at sewing factory in eastern Moscow rises to 12 — source

MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The body of another person killed in a fire in the building of a sewing factory in eastern Moscow has been found, bringing the total death toll to 12, a source in the city law enforcement agencies told TASS on Sunday.

"The Emergencies Ministry’s staff continues clearing the debris at the fire scene at the sewing factory on Stromynka Street. During the works, another body of a person who died was found. A total of 12 dead people have been found in the fire," the source said.

The fire erupted in an old building on Moscow’s Stromynka Street accommodating a sewing shop late in the evening on Saturday. It was localized at midnight and extinguished at 00:55 Moscow Time (9.55 p.m. GMT) on Sunday. About 3,000 square meters have been damaged by fire, with the roof collapsing on the area of 500 square meters.

Criminal proceedings have been launched over deliberate destruction of property and death of people in the fire, a spokesperson for the Moscow Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee Yulia Ivanova said earlier. A source in the law enforcement bodies told TASS that, according to preliminary data, the fire had been caused by arson.