Death toll in Ukraine's Odessa college fire rises to 10

Kiev: Ten people have been killed and eight others are still missing as a result of a fire in the building of the Odessa college, with the death toll expected to rise further, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said Sunday.

Honcharuk visited Odessa to mourn those killed and inspect the investigation of the fire in the Odessa College of Economics, Law, Hotel, and Restaurant Business.

"Another eight people are still missing. Rescuers do not stop searching. The state will provide full support to all those who have lost relatives. Please accept my sincere condolences," wrote Honcharuk on his Telegram channel.

He said that the government created a commission to investigate the cause of the fire in Odessa, and the results should be submitted by Dec. 20.

The prime minister also pointed out that the last inspection of the college building took place five years ago in June 2014.

A total of 30 people were injured in the fire, nine of whom remain in hospitals.



The fire broke out on the third floor of the six-story building of the college at 10:12 a.m. local time on Wednesday, spreading across 4,000 square meters.

Police opened criminal proceedings on violations of fire safety requirements. Dec. 5 and 6 were declared mourning days in Odessa and Dec. 8 the mourning day in Ukraine.