Audio By Carbonatix
A huge fire has ripped through a major shopping complex on the edge of Moscow killing at least one person, Russia's Emergencies Ministry has said.
Video of the blaze showed explosions at the massive Mega Khimki mall.
Arson is being investigated as a possible cause of the fire, but an electrical fault is thought to be a more likely trigger.
The centre had housed major Western retail outlets, until they pulled out after February's invasion of Ukraine.
The fire spread across the roof of the OBI superstore at the complex early on Thursday morning, and at one point covered 18,000 sq m (194,000 sq ft).
By around 08:30 Moscow time (05:30 GMT) firefighters quoted by Russian media said it had been contained to an area of 7,000 sq m.
Two hours later, an Emergencies Ministry official said what he described as the "open fire" had been put out.
At least one explosion at OBI, which sells home and garden improvement wares, caused the structure to start collapsing, firefighters said.
The blasts are thought to have been caused by exploding aerosols and paint tins.
Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the incident. Losses from the fire have been estimated at $320m-$480m (£261m-£390m).
The German hardware chain OBI no longer owns the store, having sold all its Russian outlets - including 27 superstores - over the summer.
A 60% stake was bought by Russian-born German-Israeli businessman Josef Liokumovich for just $10 (£8).
Latest Stories
-
Former Ivory Coast coach Gasset dies
34 minutes -
An Open Letter to the Deputy Attorney General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai
42 minutes -
Humour at its finest at Kumasi Comedy Show
54 minutes -
Police Christmas special operation: 101 suspects arrested in Greater Accra
1 hour -
15 arrested after sporadic shootings at Ho central mosque
2 hours -
GES condemns alleged theft of food supplies at Awaso STEM SHS
2 hours -
DopeNation electrifies crowd at Joy FM’s Party in the Park
2 hours -
Philip Ayesu emerges as the 2025 Achimota Champion after beating Percival Kwadjo Ampoma
2 hours -
Support your own – Mr P tells Ghanaian artistes
2 hours -
Ghana EXIM Bank develops 5-year export-led growth strategy to drive trade expansion
3 hours -
Big Smiles, Bigger Bounces: Kids take over the fun at the Joy Party in the Park
3 hours -
Joy FM Party in the Park 2025: Kwabena Kwabena takes centre stage
4 hours -
Ghana-Nigeria cyber-fraud network dupes over 200 victims of $400,000
4 hours -
Tackling terrorism requires jobs and anti-corruption drive, not strikes alone – Nigerian security analyst
4 hours -
Terror attacks in Nigeria affect all faiths, not only Christians – Security analyst
4 hours
