The Kirov Region investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have launched a criminal investigation in a crime under paragraph “b” of part 2 of article 238 of the RF Penal Code (providing work or services designed for children under 6 years of age and not meeting safety standards) following sliding of a snow mound from the roof of a kindergarten on two girls.

On 10 March, a snow mound slid down on two 4-year-old girls from the roof of a kindergarten in Popov street in the town of Kirov. The staff called doctors and they examined the girls. One of the girls had a bruise on her thigh, while the second a bruise on her face. At present nothing threatens to their lives or health.

Investigators have found that the management of the said facility were in charge of cleaning snow and ice from the roof.

At present investigative operations are underway to find out all the circumstances of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Unfortunately in Kirov Region this is not the first incident when children got hurt by snow slides from roofs, including lethal outcomes. There have been 4 criminal investigations launched in similar incidents and 1 sentence has already been passed.

Yesterday morning in the town of Slobodsky a chunk of ice fell on a 6-year-old girl from the roof of a block of flats in Naberezhnaya street. The ambulance rushed the girl to a hospital. The Kirov Region investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have launched a criminal investigation in a crime under paragraph “b” of part 2 of article 238 ( providing work or services not meeting safety standards which inflicted by negligence grievous bodily harm). The investigators have revealed that the building was serviced by OOO Sodruzhestvo. The CEO of the company has been detained. Custodial restraint is expected soon.

On 3 March, sentence was passed upon the supervisor of OOO Housing Operating Bureau No 34 found guilty of providing services that did not meet safety standards that inflicted by negligence grievous bodily harm to a child caused by a slide of a snow mound from the roof. The court and investigators found that on 28 October 2014, at about 10:30 AM, a mound of ice and snow slid on an 18-month-old baby from a balcony on the fifth floor of a block of flats in Griboyedov street in the town of Kirov. The supervisor had failed to organize the cleaning of the snow which ended up in the tragedy. The woman got a suspended sentence of 1.5 years.

On 13 February 2015, a chunk of ice fell from the fifth floor of a building in Shironintsev street in the town of Kirov on a pram with a one-month-old baby inside. The baby was badly injured and died on 14 February 2015.

It was revealed that the ice chunk had slid from the roof to the balcony on the fifth floor and then fell down. The building is under service of facility manager Lepse-uyut. At the moment of the incident the supervisor was on a sick leave and the CEO of the company was responsible for cleaning the roofs from ice and snow. At present the CEO is in custody.

The investigators are going to do their best to bring to justice those guilty of injuring or killing children due to their negligent attitude to their work.