Russia’s Putin says criminal negligence behind deadly mall fire

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday “criminal negligence” was to blame for a Siberian mall fire that killed at least 64 people, including 41 children, after they found themselves trapped in the inferno because of locked doors. Two days after the tragedy and after facing criticism on social media for the delay, the Kremlin announced a nationwide day of mourning for Wednesday as questions swirled about Putin’s response to one of the deadliest fires recorded in Russia over the past century.
A criminal probe has been opened and five people have been arrested over the blaze, which raged through the busy shopping centre in the industrial city of Kemerovo in western Siberia on Sunday afternoon. Investigators said the victims and dozens of animals were burned alive or suffocated because emergency exits were locked, notably at one of the cinema halls where children were watching cartoons.
Forty-one children were among the dead, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing a source in the regional emergencies services. Putin visited a makeshift memorial of stuffed toys, flowers and balloons near the gutted mall’s facade on Tuesday, telling officials he felt “like wailing” over the number of victims.
“What is happening here? These are not armed hostilities. This is not an unexpected release of methane in a mine. People, children came to relax,” Putin said after laying flowers at the memorial.
“We are talking about demographics but are losing so many people. Because of what? Because of some criminal negligence, slovenliness,” Putin said.
“The first feelings when they speak about the number of victims and the number of dead children... one feels like wailing -- not crying,” he said.
Temperatures during the blaze reached 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit) and some of the bodies were so burned they could not be identified, officials said. Bastrykin said 37 bodies would have to be identified through genetic analysis. The Russian leader also visited victims at a local hospital including Ivan Zavarzin, 18, who survived after jumping from the fourth floor during the fire.
He told Putin that “many did not believe in the seriousness of what was happening during the first few minutes thinking it was a drill,” the Kremlin said.
The Kemerovo region has declared three days of mourning beginning Tuesday.
Vigils were planned in Moscow and Saint Petersburg for Tuesday evening and several other Russian cities mourned in solidarity. The mall also housed a petting zoo with dozens of animals who also perished in the blaze.
Originally built in 1969, the building was redeveloped several times and previously housed a factory.