8 die in fire at construction site in Moscow

Moscow, Jan 31 (UNI) Eight people died and three others were injured in a fire that broke out in a room in a building under construction north of Moscow, Russian news agencies reported today.

The fire broke out yesterday night on the second floor of a sports complex in the Mytishchi district.

Preliminary reports said the victims were construction workers who lived inside the future sports centre while it was being built.

''The room contained three beds where the bodies were found,'' RIA Novosti news agency reported quoting the Moscow region rescuers.

One of the injured had been hospitalised and two others received medical aid on the spot.

Local rescuers of the Emergency Situations Ministry said the room caught fire because the victims did not observe fire safety rules and the construction project itself was in breach of fire safety regulations.

''Experts put the incident mostly down to the people who lived in the building and violated fire security rules when using electric heaters,'' the rescuers said.

Possibly the people tried to put out the fire themselves and did not call the fire-fighters in time, they pointed out, adding that there was also a lot of smoke, which could have asphyxiated the victims.

UNI