The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
Vladimir Putin told relatives of the scores killed in a shopping-mall fire in Siberia that those guilty for one of the deadliest blazes in recent Russian history would be brought to justice, seeking to defuse a rising wave of public anger over the loss of life.
The Russian president flew to the city of Kemerovo early on Tuesday morning, and met with families of some of the victims, survivors and local officials. He stayed away from thousands of angry and distraught local residents who gathered in the city’s main square, chanting “shame†and alleging that the authorities were covering up the true death toll. Those protesters were met by phalanxes of police in riot gear and lower-level local officials.
The fire broke out Sunday afternoon and burned into Monday as firefighters were unable to rescue dozens trapped inside. The official death toll stands at 64, including 41 children, many of whom were trapped in a movie theater where the exit doors were locked. Coming just a week after Putin won a landslide re-election, the tragedy shocked Russians and revived longstanding questions about poor enforcement of fire-safety rules.
“You understand that many people don’t believe the authorities now,†one man from the group of survivors selected to meet the president told Putin,†Aman Tuleyev.