Fire in Crimea kills 8 construction workers – Moscow

At least eight people have died in a fire that ravaged temporary housing for construction workers in Crimea annexed to Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced on Thursday.

The fire broke out overnight at a two-story building for construction workers near the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, the ministry said.

“As a result of the fire, eight people died and two were injured,” he added, adding that the fire had been “completely extinguished” by Thursday morning.

Two of the injured were hospitalized in stable condition, according to Moscow-based Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev.

He said the victims were construction workers from “different Russian regions”, who were involved in the construction of a major highway across the peninsula.

Local investigators said a criminal investigation had been launched into “negligence death”.

More than 100 people were living in the temporary accommodation, they added.

Russian news agency TASS quoted a law enforcement source as saying the fire could have been caused by an electrical device shorting out.

Russia annexed Crimea to Ukraine in 2014, following a referendum that was not recognized by either Kyiv or its Western allies.