Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at a hotel on Olkhon Island in the Irkutsk region, Russia on Jan. 28, 2018. (Photo by Russian Emergencies Ministry)
MOSCOW, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- An electrical fault could have been the cause of a Sunday morning fire at a hotel in Russia's Irkutsk region, some 4,000 km east of Moscow, which killed two people and injured a few others,authorities said Monday.
The fire occurred in a residential two-story house providing accommodation services for tourists in the village of Khuzhir on Olkhon Island, the largest island in Lake Baikal in Russia's eastern Siberia.Tourism is an important part of the area's economy.
Preliminary investigations have showed that the fire could have been caused by a short circuit, since it began in an uninhabited room, the regional branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said, adding that experts have taken samples of the electrical wiring to establish the exact cause.
Two people were killed and seven others wounded in the fire, of which one injured Chinese national was sent to the hospital immediately, the Chinese Consulate General in Irkutsk said in a statement.
According to the statement, preliminary verification suggested that the two victims might be Chinese nationals, and the Consulate General is contacting relevant departments to confirm their identities.
The Russian Investigative Committee has instituted criminal proceedings on the grounds of violation of fire safety requirements and negligence resulting in the deaths of two persons or more, the Irkutsk regional division of the committee said, adding that investigations are underway.
Twenty-two fires were registered in Irkutsk province in the last few days, the main causes of which were electrical, associated with the intensive use of heating appliances and violation of safety requirements for using electrical equipment, according to the Emergencies Ministry.