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In Moscow Region, probe launched into death of five people, including four children, in fire

The Moscow Regional Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation launched a probe into the death of five people, including four minors, under Part 3 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Russia (infliction of death by negligence).

The fire had occurred in an apartment in Volokolamsky District on October 7. Six children and their grandfather had been present in the apartment at the moment of the fire. The man had managed to take three children outside, the others could not get out. The fire had spread to other floors. During fire extinguishing and examining the scene, bodies of a woman and a child living on the third floor had been discovered in the stairwell. According to the preliminary investigation, they had suffocated when running into the hall. In total, five people, including four children, had died in the fire.

Preliminary data show that the fire could have been caused by the careless handling of fire. The crime scene is being examined by investigators and forensic experts of the Moscow Regional Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee. The examination will result in an arrangement of a number of forensic tests aimed to determine the causes of the fire. Investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia will also assess the conditions in which children had been living and brought up.