According to the state-run news service Tass, a major office building fire close to Moscow has claimed the lives of at least eight people.
Only one person was saved from the fire at the flaming building in Fryazino, some 25 km (15.5 miles) northeast of the capital, according to emergency personnel who spoke with Tass.
A local emergency services official told Tass that six people perished when the interior of the office collapsed in the fire, while two people died when they sprang out of a window.
Online footage displays dense smoke rising from the eight-story building’s upper stories.
According to Tass, the building formerly housed the defense industry and the Platan Research Institute.
However, the facility has been privately held since the 1990s, according to a statement that the Russian electronics company Ruselectronics gave to the agency.
According to regional governor Andrey Vorobyov, two firefighters were receiving treatment for injuries they suffered in the incident, while a 34-year-old male was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. According to local emergency personnel, the man was the only one pulled out of the fire.
Two helicopters and more than 100 specialists were battling the fire, according to emergency ministry authorities.
