2nd LD: Death toll surges to 37 in Russian shopping mall fire, 69 others missing

MOSCOW, March 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 37 people were killed in a fire in a shopping mall in the south central Russian city of Kemerovo on Sunday, while many others are missing, TASS news agency reported, citing a source with the firefighting authorities.

Earlier reports said 69 people, including 40 children, were missing.

Firefighters are working at the scene to search for the missing.

Around 120 people were evacuated from the burned building, of which more than 1,000 square meters were ripped through by the deadly fire, according to local news agency Sputnik.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry has planned to dispatch more rescuers to the scene, Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov was quoted as saying by the website of the ministry.

So far, it still remains unclear about what caused the fire at the shopping mall. Enditem