MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed the mall fire that killed at least 64 people in the Siberian city of Kemerovo on "criminal negligence" as he visited the site two days after the tragedy.
At least 64 people, many of them children, died when a blaze raged through the busy shopping centre in the industrial city on Sunday, one of the deadliest fires recorded in Russia over the past century.
Putin flew to Kemerovo Tuesday as questions swirled about the Kremlin's handling of the country's latest man-made disaster.
At least 64 people, many of them children, died when the blaze raged through the busy shopping centre
"What is happening here? These are not armed hostilities. This is not an unexpected release of methane. People, children came to relax," Putin told officials in Kemerovo after laying flowers at a makeshift memorial of flowers, stuffed children's toys and balloons near the gutted mall's facade.
"We are talking about demographics but are losing so many people. Because of what? Because of some criminal negligence, slovenliness," Putin said in comments released by the Kremlin.
"The first feelings when they speak about the number of victims and the number of dead children... one feels like wailing -- not crying," Putin said in televised remarks.
Questions have swirled about the Kremlin's response to the country's latest man-made disaster.
Critics wondered why the Kremlin did not call a nationwide day of mourning and said national television channels did not pull entertainment programmes from their schedule fast enough.
Many on social media questioned the official death toll but officials said the figures were final, urging Russians not to trust unconfirmed reports.
Meeting with a group of locals, Putin said some 100 investigators were working at the scene, promising they would get to the bottom of what had happened.
"They will look at the entire chain," he said in televised remarks.
The Russian leader also visited victims at a local hospital including Ivan Zavarzin, 18, who jumped from the fourth floor during the blaze.
He told Putin that "many did not believe in the seriousness of what was happening during the first few minutes thinking it was a drill," the Kremlin said.
Putin also met three men who helped evacuate people.
The Kemerovo region declared three days of mourning beginning Tuesday.
Some Muscovites were planning a vigil in the city centre Tuesday evening and several Russian cities mourned in solidarity with Kemerovo.
Investigators and witnesses said people -- including children -- were burned alive or suffocated because emergency exits were locked, notably at a multiplex cinema where children were watching cartoons.
Multiple safety rules were violated, officials said.
Among those arrested over the fire is an official of the mall's security firm who is suspected of deactivating the public address system when the fire broke out.
Witnesses said the fire took hold very quickly, leaving many children separated from their parents.
The shopping mall also housed a petting zoo with dozens of animals who also perished in the blaze.
Originally built in 1969, the building was redeveloped several times and previously housed a factory.
The prosecutor general's office said that all of the country's shopping malls with entertainment areas will be checked for fire safety.
Pope Francis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Theresa May, EU President Donald Tusk and the US State Department all expressed their condolences.