1 of 3 | Protesters in Kemerovo, Russia gathered on the central square on Tuesday, demanding answers about what led to a mall fire that killed 64 people, including 41 children. Photo by Fedor Baranov/EPA-EFE
March 27 (UPI) -- While Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed "criminal negligence" caused the deaths of 64 people, including 41 children, in a fire at a Siberian mall, protesters scrutinized the president and other officials for breaches in the building's safety regulations.
On Tuesday, relatives of the victims, along with thousands of others, rallied outside of the mall's remains to call for those responsible to step down over safety breaches. It's emerged that the mall had a faulty fire alarm system and that its fire exits were locked.
Russia's Investigative Committee said there were "serious violations" at the Zimnyaya Vishnya mall -- also known as the Winter Cherry mall -- which broke out Sunday in the Siberian city of Kemerovo. It burned through a movie multiplex and a children's play area, fire officials said.
The head of the committee said the mall's fire alarm system had been out of order since March 19 and the public-address system had not been turned on, so people were not warned to evacuate.
Protesters carried photographs of some of the children who died in the blaze and others carried posters that said, "How many really died," "Who's really guilty" and "How much do your closed eyes cost?"
Putin, Kemerovo Mayor Ilya Serdyuk and Sergei Tsiviliev, the deputy governor of the region, appeared in front of the crowd to comfort the victims' families but faced criticism instead.
Crowds chanted "Resign," "The truth!" and "Shame!" to drown out officials' remarks.
Six busloads of police later arrived to contain the growing crowd as officers blocked the entrance to the local administration.
Putin, after laying a wreath during his visit, said, "people, children came to relax. We are talking about demography and are losing so many people because of what? Because of criminal negligence, sloppiness."
Relatives compiled a list of 85 who are still missing, mostly children. Many will only be identifiable by DNA testing, officials said.
Health minister Veronika Skvortsova said 13 people were hospitalized, including an 11-year-old boy in a serious condition who had jumped from a window. Both of his parents died in the fire.
The fire's cause remains under investigation. The shopping center's owner will be questioned and four people, including two employees of the fire alarm system company, have been detained.
