YAROSLAVL, September 28. /TASS/. The death toll from the fire at a fireworks production facility near Pereslavl-Zalessky in the Yaroslavl Region has risen to 13, a spokesman for the local emergencies services told TASS.
"Thirteen people died in the fire. There were 15 people inside the facility," he said.
Earlier reports put the number of fatalities at 10.
The spokesman suggested the fire might have been caused by a safety violation. "Other causes of the fire are being probed into," he said.
The spokesman also said that the fire destroyed the company’s buildings.
The accident occurred in the village of Kubrinsk when two buildings in the territory of a fireworks production facility caught fire. The firefighting effort involved more than 100 rescuers and 40 firefighting vehicles.
A criminal case was opened on charges of violating safety rules at hazardous production facilities (part 3, article 217 of the Russian Criminal Code).