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Russia opens criminal case after hotel fire kills three in Moscow

The fire in a two-storey hotel building covered the area of 700 square meters

MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/. Investigators have opened a criminal case after a fire at a hotel in northeastern Moscow early on Saturday killed three people, the press service of the Main Investigative Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee in the city said.

The case has been opened into "fire safety breach," the department said. "The investigators are considering various causes of the fire, including a domestic, technical and others."

Nine people were rescued from the building. "Three of them were hospitalized and six others were provided with medical assistance at the scene," it said.

The fire in a two-storey hotel building covered the area of 700 square meters. The blaze was extinguished in more than two and a half hours. The effort was hampered due to the extremely cold weather.

The building also houses a restaurant, a beauty salon, a photo studio, a dental clinic and shops.

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