Nine more were injured in the blaze at a hotel
© Russian Emergencies Ministry
A massive fire broke out in one of the hotels in central Moscow on Tuesday, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. The blaze hit the MKM hotel as one of its guests reportedly set his personal belongings alight in one of the corridors.
The fire started on the fifth floor of the 16-storey building. Videos reportedly taken at the scene and published on social media show thick plumes of grey smoke coming out of the windows of the massive hotel building and billowing over its roof. According to some reports, people were crying from the windows of the hotel as they were asking for help.
The blaze hit around 300 square meters (3, 229 square feet), according to the emergency services. The rescue teams managed to get 50 people, including seven children, to safety. The rescuers had to use a fire motor ladder to save the people from the upper floors, according to the TASS news agency.
At least six people, including two children, died in the incident, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. Two of those killed in the fire were reportedly hotel guests. One of them was found in a hotel room, where the fire allegedly broke out. At least nine people were injured, according to the ministry. At least three people are allegedly in critical condition.
TASS reported that five people, including a child, were hospitalized. The firefighters managed to localize the blaze and are now checking the apartments in the building.
