Russia launches probe into fire safety dept over Crocus attack
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The person responsible for fire safety and the head of the fire team have been placed under travel restrictions, while potential violations of fire safety requirements are being looked into.
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In this photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, Russian Emergency Ministry rescuers work inside the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. (AP)
Russian law enforcement relayed to the TASS news agency on Sunday that fire safety authorities are being investigated for criminal negligence following the Crocus City Hall attack that left 140 dead after four men opened fire last month and set the hall ablaze.
The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, stated that at least 45 people died from the fire, as bodies are still being identified and the causes of death determined, noting that more died from the fire than the gunshots.
The person responsible for fire safety and the head of the fire team have been placed under travel restrictions while potential violations of fire safety requirements are being looked into.
Some witness accounts stated to the media that the automated fire systems, sprinkler systems, and smoke control systems did not activate when needed and the emergency lighting malfunctioned as the fire spread over 13,000 square meters.
Law enforcement agencies said some materials used in the walls may have contributed to the spread of the fire, but Crocus Group, the owners, denied it, according to RIA Novosti.
Read more: US covering up for Crocus venue attackers, distorting events: Russia
Four suspects were headed to Ukraine
Interfax quoted the FSB security service last month as saying that the four suspects directly involved in the deadly attack near Moscow were heading toward Russia's border with Ukraine.
They had contacts on the Ukrainian side, the security service confirmed, adding that the attack had been carefully planned and the perpetrators had weapons prepared in advance in a cache.
"After committing the terrorist attack, the criminals intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side of the border," the FSB said, confirming that work is underway to determine all the circumstances of the incident.
On his part, Russian lawmaker and former general Andrei Kartapolov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying that if Ukraine is found to be behind Friday's attack that killed at least 93 people near Moscow there should be a clear answer on the battlefield.
