At least 40 people were killed and dozens were still unaccounted for on Sunday when a fire tore through a shopping mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, the Interfax news agency reports.
The 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.
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. Television pictures showed people jumping from the windows of the mall, which was engulfed in black smoke.
Kemerovo is a coal-producing region some 3,600 kilometers east of Moscow.
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