TASS Reports 13 Killed in Russia Factory Fire

A fire broke out at a fireworks factory in the village of Kubrinsk near Pereslavl-Zalessky in Russia's Yaroslavl region, about 300 km northeast of Moscow. Two buildings on the production site were ablaze. TASS reported: "Thirteen people died in the fire. There were 15 people inside the facility." More than 100 emergency personnel and 40 firefighting vehicles responded, and the village was cut off from the electricity grid. Earlier reports put fatalities at 5 or 10 and mentioned one woman injured. TASS, Xinhua and Sabah/dpa later put the death toll at 13; Yahoo/dpa cited 14. A spokesman said, per TASS, that other causes of the fire are being probed into. Investigators opened a criminal case over suspected violations of industrial safety requirements for hazardous production facilities. Initial reports did not establish the cause.