At least 53 people were killed and dozens were still unaccounted for on March 25 when a fire tore through a shopping mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, news agencies report.
The fire at the Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) shopping mall in central Kemerovo erupted on Sunday on the top floor of the four-storey building engulfing an area of some 1,500 square metres.
Russian Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladlen Aksyonov said earlier on March 26 that "more bodies were discovered during the inspection of the scene and we confirm the death toll is at 48."
Over 40 children are among those missing in the fire at the shopping mall in Kemerovo, according to reports.
"Two out of three cinema halls caved in from the fourth to the third floor of the building," Aksyonov said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which investigates high-profile crimes and reports directly to President Vladimir Putin, said as many as 35 people could be missing, while five were dead.
Social media showed several people leaping from the building's windows to escape the fire, but they reportedly did not survive the fall.
News agencies said more than 100 people had been evacuated from the mall, which contains cinemas, restaurants and shops.
There was no immediate indication of the cause of the fire.
Kemerovo is a coal-producing region some 3,600km east of Moscow.
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