By RIA Novosti
Moscow : At least seven people were killed when a fire broke out in their makeshift living quarters at a building site in northwest Russia’s Komi Republic early Tuesday, the emergencies ministry said.
The fire broke out about 3.30 a.m. (0030 hours GMT) on a site being developed by a private building company in the town of Usinsk. The blaze engulfed a sheet-metal shed covering an area of 18 sq. meters.
“Seven workers from Samara (on the Volga) were killed in the fire,” Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said.
Two firefighting units fought for about two hours to extinguish the flames.
Preliminary reports said eight workers were in the shed at the time of the fire.
Seven bodies have been recovered from the debris, and the search for the other worker is continuing.
An investigation into the incident is underway.