Kemerovo fire: Putin blasts officials, says criminal negligence caused accident

The inferno, which started at around 5 pm on Sunday, killed at least 64 people, including 41 children.

People were shopping and watching movies at the Winter Cherry mall when the blaze first broke out.

Several people were wounded as the ceiling in two cinema halls caved in.

Laying a wreath at the scene, Putin reportedly asked, "What is happening here?"

"This is no battle or an unexpected methane outburst in a mine," he 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."

Five people have been arrested in connection with the accident, including an official who is suspected of turning off the public address system.

Expressing anger, Kemerovo lawmaker Anton Gorelkin said in a Facebook post that the place was turned into a trap after an official decided to shut the address system. He also rued the lack of systematic evacuation.

Meanwhile, providing a possible explanation, Kemerovo's deputy governor, Vladimir Chernov, said, "The preliminary suspicion is that a child had a cigarette lighter which ignited foam rubber in this trampoline room, and it erupted like gunpowder."

However, national broadcaster Rossiya 24 TV said that it was likely due to a short circuit.