Participants of rally in Kemerovo: true number of fire victims is concealed

People who gathered at a rally in Kemerovo, where on March 25 a fire at a shopping mall killed at least 64 people (according to official reports), are urging Governor Aman Tuleyev to resign. But the key thing for the people is to know the real number of victims. Now, the participants want to divide in group and visit mortuaries to count bodies, Mash Telegram channel reports.

“According to the Investigation Committee, it is known now that 53 people were killed in fire. 21 of them are identified. More than ten people are reported missing. But since yesterday, screenshots from WhatsApp chats are disseminated in Kemerovo groups where people say victims of the fire at Winter Cherry number in hundreds. The disastrous mistrust to the local authorities has resulted in one thing: city residents believe the number of victims is deliberately understated,” Mash writes.

About 4,000 people gathered near the regional administration offices in Kemerovo. People are calling for resignation of Governor Tuleyev, the crowd is chanting “Truth!” and “Resign!”.

The Russian Investigation Committee insists that “reports disseminated in social media that the victims of the Kemerovo disaster number in hundreds is not confirmed and does not correspond with the reality.” They at the committee also note that bodies of victims are handed over to families only after signing a document on secrecy.

“Signing of such documents is envisaged by the criminal law and stipulated first of all by interests of affected parties. At the same time, this is not a condition or obstacle for the victims identification procedure or handing out the bodies to families of the victims. After the identification procedures, investigators issue permit for burying the victims.”

As EADaily reported earlier, the fire occurred at the Winter Cherry shopping mal in Kemerovo on March 25. Under most recent official reports, 64 people were killed, 53 turned to hospitals for medical assistance.