Putin orders safety inspections of shopping malls after deadly fire

MOSCOW, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the regular examination of safety in shopping malls after the deadly fire in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

"We have discussed the matter, and I also talked to our colleagues in Kemerovo about the need to check the activities of such shopping malls. It must not be a sporadic effort. We clearly must work regularly to ensure public safety," Putin said at a meeting on economic issues, according to a Kremlin transcript.

A major fire broke out at the Winter Cherry shopping mall in downtown Kemerovo Sunday afternoon, killing at least 64 people.

Putin ordered that the Russian federal government and territorial authorities provide all necessary assistance to the families of those who had been killed or injured in the fire.

At a separate meeting with the chairman of Russia's Investigative Committee and the Russian Health Minister on the day, the president stressed that the investigation of the fire must be conducted in an objective and transparent way.

"It goes without saying that each scenario, every scenario without exception, must be checked... If one of these scenarios is confirmed it should be justified with objective information," Putin said. Enditem