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Moscow nightclub blaze kills 10 Moscow nightclub blaze kills 10
(about 8 hours later)
Ten people have been killed and several others injured by a fire at a Russian nightclub, emergency services say. A fire has swept through a Moscow nightclub, killing 10 people and injuring several others, police in the Russian capital have said.
Flames and smoke engulfed the Moscow venue on Saturday night, with reports suggesting the blaze began near the club's bar area. Witnesses said the blaze broke out when a performer staging a nightly "fire show" inadvertently set his clothes alight, official said.
City prosecutors have begun an inquiry into safety at the 911 club.
It is the latest in a series of disasters that has highlighted Russia's poor enforcement of safety regulations.
Flames and smoke engulfed the club early on Sunday morning.
A Moscow prosecutor told Russian media that several people died instantly, possibly poisoned by carbon monoxide.A Moscow prosecutor told Russian media that several people died instantly, possibly poisoned by carbon monoxide.
Vladimir Poneversky said an investigation would be launched into standards of fire security. Officials said first accounts suggested that the blaze broke out when a performer accidentally set his clothing on fire. Flames spread to a large container of spirits and then the nightclub's stage caught fire.
"Initial indications are that the fire started near the nightclub bar," said Mr Poneversky, the deputy chief prosecutor. Two Bulgarian nationals were among the dead, the Bulgarian foreign ministry has confirmed.
"According to preliminary information, the fire started near the bar, with strong smoke starting shortly afterwards, and people died on the spot, poisoned with carbon monoxide," he told the RIA news agency. Poor regulations
One Bulgarian was reported to be among the dead, but this could not be immediately confirmed. The Moscow fire is the latest fatal blaze in Russia, where some 17,000 fire deaths were recorded last year, according to the emergency ministry.
Russia suffers frequent fatal fires, with at least 63 people killed at a care home for the elderly last week. Officials say poor enforcement of fire regulations and bad construction contribute to the high rate.
Last Tuesday, at least 63 people were killed when a fire engulfed a care home for the elderly in southern Russia, where fire crews did not arrive for an hour.
In December, 45 women died in a Moscow hospital for drug addicts where the windows were barred.
The next day a second lethal fire in a hospital in the Siberian town of Taiga left eight dead.