19 die in Siberian shop blaze

At least 19 people died yesterday when flames tore through a shop in the remote Siberian town of Ukhta. Another 17 people were injured, five of them seriously.

There were conflicting reports on the cause of the blaze, which apparently sparked a gas explosion in the shop. A spokesman for local prosecutors told the Interfax news agency that a flammable liquid had been thrown into the shop, suggesting a local business dispute. But officials initially told Interfax the blast was caused by a gas canister detonating.

Vadim Zhuravlev, a duty officer at the Komi regional department of the Russian interior ministry, said the fire had raced through a store selling gas fireplaces. He said eight people had died of smoke inhalation.

Initial reports raised fears that the town had been targeted by Chechen militants. No traces of explosive were found at the shop, prosecutors said.