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Death toll from fire at illegal nursing home in Russia’s Kemerovo rises to 20

A criminal case under the article on causing death by negligence was initiated following the fire

© Danil Aikin/TASS

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. The number of people who died in a fire in an illegal nursing home in Russia’s Kemerovo, Western Siberia region, rose to 20, emergency services told TASS on Saturday.

"At the site of the fire, rescuers continue to work on the rubble in conditions of low air temperature. According to the latest data, 20 people died," the department said.

It was reported earlier that at least 13 people died in the fire. A criminal case under the article on causing death by negligence was initiated following the fire.

Governor of Kuzbass Sergey Tsivilev said that all institutions of this type, primarily private ones, would be inspected after the fire. "We will inspect all institutions of this type, primarily private ones. The inspections will be completed within a week," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

A fire broke out in a two-story wooden building of a private nursing home in Kemerovo. The fire was assigned an increased rank of difficulty. To date, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia has confirmed the deaths of six people. Law enforcement agencies told TASS that the establishment was illegal.

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