Paramedics at the scene of a fire in a hostel in Moscow on July 29, 2022. A still image from a video. (Screenshot via his RU-RTR/Epoch Times via AP)
MOSCOW — A fire at a Moscow hostel has killed eight people, officials said Friday.
The fire broke out late Thursday at a hostel in a high-rise apartment building southeast of the Russian capital. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
About 200 people who lived in the building fled the fire. Four people were hospitalized.
The Ministry of Emergencies said the windows of the hostel on the ground floor had bars on them to prevent residents from escaping. Kirill Sytov, head of the Moscow City Council’s Safety Committee, said he had previously reported security breaches at hostels to authorities, but no action was taken.
Hostels are common in Moscow for workers in low-wage jobs, especially immigrants from the former Soviet Union’s Central Asian countries. State news agency RIA-Novosti said five of the fire victims were from Central Asia.
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