Eight people received jail sentences ranging from five to 14 years on Friday for failing to follow fire safety regulations, in a case revolving around a 2018 blaze at a Russian shopping centre that left 60 dead.
The general director of the main owner of the shopping centre in the city of Kemerovo received a 14-year sentence for violations of safety and fire prevention guidelines at the Winter Cherry mall, according to justice officials.
Of the 60 who died in the fire on March 28, 2018, 37 were children. Another 147 suffered injuries.
Verdicts were also handed down to building services personnel and those responsible for fire safety. The fire was eventually traced to a cable fire in a cinema and a short circuit in a part of the shopping centre catering to children.
The case prompted widespread attention because emergency alarms didn't function and emergency exits were blocked.
A second case is pending against a group of regional officials who approved the structure's fire safety procedures.
"The investigative committee brought to account all individuals whose actions or lack thereof predetermined the tragedy at Winter Cherry and are also in a causal relationship with the consequences of this fire," a spokesperson noted.
Investigators say their work revealed "incompetent decisions" by a range of people that resulted in the deaths. Multiple officials failed to review building and safety guidelines adequately, said Svetlana Petrenko, the commission spokesperson.
