Ukraine crisis: Dozens killed in Odessa fire amid clashes
At least 31 people have been killed in a fire in an official building amid violence in Odessa in south-west Ukraine, the interior ministry says. The deaths came as pro-Russian protesters clashed with Ukrainian government supporters in the city. Officials said some people were overwhelmed by smoke and others died after they jumped from the building.
Earlier President Oleksandr Turchynov said many separatists had been killed in a government offensive in Sloviansk. Activists have seized scores of government buildings and detained observers in eastern Ukraine.
The fire broke out in Odessa's Trade Unions House, the regional office of Ukraine's interior ministry said. It did not give details of how the blaze started. The exact sequence of events is still unclear, but reports suggest the separatists had barricaded themselves inside the building and both sides were throwing petrol bombs.
The interior ministry gave a toll of at least 31 dead, revising down an earlier tally of 38 killed. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky told the BBC he regretted the loss of life but insisted Russia was behind the violence. "The situation remains under control. But the security situation is threatened by Russian special agents," he said. "That's why we are requesting and demanding Russian authorities to stop their efforts that can undermine regional security and stability."
Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry said Moscow was "outraged" by events in Odessa and denounced Kiev's "irresponsibility".
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At least 31 anti-government activists have died in a fire at Odessa’s Trade Unions House. Some burned to death, while others suffocated or jumped out of windows, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported. The building was set ablaze by pro-Kiev radicals. Some 40 people, including 10 police officers, were also injured in the incident, the official statement said.
A total of 43 people have died in Odessa violence on Friday and 174 others have sustained injuries. Twenty-five of those remain in critical condition, according to Odessa City Council.
According to the ministry, the Friday standoff on Odessa included “anti-Maidan” activists on one side and “football fans” from Odessa and Kharkov, as well as "euro-Maidan" activists, on the other. A criminal case on the charges of mass unrest has been opened.
The Trade Unions House was set on fire by pro-Kiev radicals after they surrounded and destroyed the tent camp of anti-government activists that stood in front of the building on Odessa’s Kulikovo Field Square. It was torched in a storming attempt after some of the anti-Maidan activists rallying in the square barricaded themselves inside the building.
The majority of the victims were found on the floors of the Trade Unions House having apparently burned to death or suffocated from smoke. Others jumped out of the building's windows, according to police.
Earlier reports of the clashes in Odessa said that both sides used Molotov cocktails and, allegedly, gunfire. Part of the pro-Maidan activists reportedly bore insignia of the radical Right Sector group.
source (strong content, corpses)
Earlier President Oleksandr Turchynov said many separatists had been killed in a government offensive in Sloviansk. Activists have seized scores of government buildings and detained observers in eastern Ukraine.
The fire broke out in Odessa's Trade Unions House, the regional office of Ukraine's interior ministry said. It did not give details of how the blaze started. The exact sequence of events is still unclear, but reports suggest the separatists had barricaded themselves inside the building and both sides were throwing petrol bombs.
The interior ministry gave a toll of at least 31 dead, revising down an earlier tally of 38 killed. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky told the BBC he regretted the loss of life but insisted Russia was behind the violence. "The situation remains under control. But the security situation is threatened by Russian special agents," he said. "That's why we are requesting and demanding Russian authorities to stop their efforts that can undermine regional security and stability."
Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry said Moscow was "outraged" by events in Odessa and denounced Kiev's "irresponsibility".
source
At least 31 anti-government activists have died in a fire at Odessa’s Trade Unions House. Some burned to death, while others suffocated or jumped out of windows, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported. The building was set ablaze by pro-Kiev radicals. Some 40 people, including 10 police officers, were also injured in the incident, the official statement said.
A total of 43 people have died in Odessa violence on Friday and 174 others have sustained injuries. Twenty-five of those remain in critical condition, according to Odessa City Council.
According to the ministry, the Friday standoff on Odessa included “anti-Maidan” activists on one side and “football fans” from Odessa and Kharkov, as well as "euro-Maidan" activists, on the other. A criminal case on the charges of mass unrest has been opened.
The Trade Unions House was set on fire by pro-Kiev radicals after they surrounded and destroyed the tent camp of anti-government activists that stood in front of the building on Odessa’s Kulikovo Field Square. It was torched in a storming attempt after some of the anti-Maidan activists rallying in the square barricaded themselves inside the building.
The majority of the victims were found on the floors of the Trade Unions House having apparently burned to death or suffocated from smoke. Others jumped out of the building's windows, according to police.
Earlier reports of the clashes in Odessa said that both sides used Molotov cocktails and, allegedly, gunfire. Part of the pro-Maidan activists reportedly bore insignia of the radical Right Sector group.
source (strong content, corpses)