Russian mall fire: Calls for sackings over safety violations

Russia holds a day of national mourning today for the dozens of victims of a Siberia shopping centre fire, as calls multiply for the sacking of negligent officials and a thorough probe into blatant safety violations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin took the unusual step -- for him -- of visiting the Siberian industrial city of Kemerovo, where the tragedy occurred, and faced emotional questions about how so many could have died "because of criminal negligence".

The current toll is at least 64 dead, including 41 children.

Safety exits were blocked, cinema doors were blocked, the fire alarm system was not working and a security guard failed to trigger the public warning system, investigators said.

The regional authorities appeared to have turned a blind eye to violations by the owners of the complex, which included cinemas, a bowling alley and children's play areas, as well as shops and restaurants.

The shopping centre opened in 2013 despite the emergency services having pointed out problems with fire safety. The owners did not make improvements after a 2016 inspection.

It was registered as a business with less than 100 staff in order to reduce official checks.

"Any businessman can tell you how much it costs to make a fire inspector turn a blind eye to violations," wrote popular blogger Ilya Varlamov.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was among several thousand mourners who came to leave flowers on a Moscow square on Tuesday evening.

Some there shouted slogans calling for the sacking of Kemerovo's regional governor Aman Tuleyev and for a "Russia without Putin!"
Deputy regional governor Sergei Tsivilev went to talk to protesters and confronted one, asking him: "Young man, you're talking to people calmly. What do you want? To get publicity from grief?"
At mourning ceremonies in central Moscow and Saint Petersburg on Tuesday evening, people shouted protest slogans such as "Put Putin on trial, put Tuleyev on trial!"