At least fourteen Vietnamese people died on Tuesday as a fire swept through a building in the small town of Yegoryevsk, Moscow region.
The incident took place in a small room on the second floor of a big clothing factory's building. The fire probably broke out because of disrepair of some technical equipment. Such a big amount of victims is explained by the fact that the Vietnamese migrants were working in a locked room. So, they simply had no chances to survive when the fire started. However, one migrant was found alive, he is brought to the hospital with multiple burns.
Investigators are currently working at the scene of the incident. A criminal case is brought against the worker's employer, thought they say it will be difficult to find him.
Low-paid migrant workers often become the victims of blazes in Russia, mainly because of their illegal status and poor conditions of living and work.
The similar incident took place earlier this year when seventeen migrant workers from the impoverished former Soviet republic of Tajikistan died in fire at a Moscow market.
Russia is an appalling record holder for the amount of fire victims. According to the Emergency Ministry, some 12,000 people died in fires across the country in 2011, comparing with 4,400 annually in Europe.
Author: Julia Alieva