Eight dead in construction site fire in Crimea – Russian-installed governor

(Reuters) – At least eight people died in the Crimean city of Sevastopol after an overnight fire in construction workers’ temporary accommodation, Russian officials said on Thursday morning.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, home to the Russian navy’s Black Sea Fleet, said the fire had broken out in a dormitory for workers building the Tavrida highway, a new road linking the cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol.

Russia’s emergencies ministry said eight people had died and two were injured.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and unilaterally annexed it. Kyiv has said it plans to retake the peninsula by force.

Local law enforcement agencies said the fire was the result of an electrical appliance short-circuiting, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)