Fire Breaks Out At Russian Shopping Center; Dozens May Be Trapped Under The Rubble

Massive Fire Engulfs Russian Shopping Center

MOSCOW, March 12 (Reuters) - Some 25 people may still be under the rubble of a shopping center that caught fire in the Russian city of Kazan, Interfax news agency cited the head of the regional emergencies ministry as saying on Thursday.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday in a first-story cafe at the center, media reported, sending flames high into the air and killing five people.

Igor Panshin, head of the regional emergencies ministry, was quoted by Interfax as saying: "Around 25 people have not gotten in touch (with their relatives)."

Emergency workers were clearing away rubble on Thursday morning. Life News, which has good sources among Russia's law enforcement authorities, said around 200 people had been evacuated from the building in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Tatarstan region.

(Reporting by Thomas Grove; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Before You Go

Firefighters extinguish a fire at a shopping mall in Kazan, Russia on March 11. (AP Photo/Nikolay Alexandrov)

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