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Fifty-eight injured and nine taken to hospital after Rostov-on-Don fire

The fire destroyed about 120 buildings

© Maxim Romanov/TASS

ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 22. /TASS/. Nearly 60 people have sought medical attention after the fire in Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don, nine of them have been taken to hospitals, head of the regional emergencies department Sergey Panov told a meeting of the emergency response center.

"According to the latest data confirmed by the Ministry of Health, 58 people have been injured, 9 have been taken to hospitals," he said.

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On Monday, a massive fire broke out in Rostov-on-Don’s historical center. Private houses on an area of 10,000 square meters were affected by blazes. At 18:53 Moscow Time it was announced that the fire had been localized. The fire destroyed about 120 buildings, of these nearly 100 were residential facilities.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Rostov-on-Don region. Earlier reports said that, according to various sources, from 36 to 45 people had sought medical attention, some of them were taken to hospitals, including three police officers and a Russian Emergencies Ministry rescuer.

About 600 people have been evacuated from the nearby houses. A criminal case has been opened under the section of the Russian Criminal Code titled "Deliberate destruction or damage to someone else’s property," which provides for up to five years in jail.

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