Restaurant fire in Russia, 13 dead

13 people have tragically died in a fire in a restaurant in Russia, according to the country's media.

It is said that at least 5 other people were seriously injured in this incident. The fire occurred in the city of Kostroma, 300 kilometers northeast of the capital Moscow, on Friday (04 November) around 2 am local time.

Kostroma Region Mayor Sergey Sitnikov told local media that at least 250 people were evacuated from the restaurant after the fire. Fire service personnel arrived and brought the fire under control at 7am on Friday (November 5) after a 5-hour effort. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be known. 

Meanwhile, the doctors of the local hospital said that the condition of 2 of the 5 injured people is serious. A committee has been constituted to investigate whether the incident of fire is a terrorist act. Police are looking for a person who set off firecrackers with a flare gun in front of the restaurant.  

 

Deaths in restaurant fires are not new in Russia. Earlier in 2009, 150 people died tragically in a fire in a restaurant in Perm, Russia.