Fire kills 12 in Russian furniture factory

YEKATERINBURG, Russia, Feb 7 (Reuters) Twelve people died in a fire which destroyed a furniture factory in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, a spokeswoman for the regional emergency ministry said today.

Emergency services brought the fire under control in the early hours of today, around 15 hours after it started, the spokeswoman, Natalya Zyryanova, said.

''We can't discount the possibility of more deaths,'' she said.

Ten of the factory workers were taken to hospital.

''There were people jumping from the windows. There was simply not a proper fire escape,'' she said.

She did not identify the company which owned the factory in the Ural mountains.

REUTERS AB ND1526