The family in which a mother and four children died in a fire in Komsomolsk-on-Amur had 14 children, regional children’s ombudsman Pyotr Perevezentsev said.
A fire broke out early on October 8 in an apartment on the fourth floor of a residential building on Gamarnika Street. Five people died, including a mother and four children. The regional emergencies department said a mother and six children were in the apartment. Two girls, aged six and 10, were rescued by neighbours and taken to hospital.
Perevezentsev told RIA Novosti that the family had 14 children, including older children. A neighbour, Igor Valshtein, rescued the two girls. Khabarovsk region Governor Dmitry Demeshin promised to award him for helping them.
Investigators and emergencies officials are establishing the cause of the fire. Authorities opened a criminal case over the negligent deaths of two or more people. The emergencies department’s operational statement confirms the location, timing and rescue details but does not state the family’s total number of children.