5 children, 2 adults die in fire in Russia

Seven people, including five children, have been found dead in a fire in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan.

Government authorities said rescue workers found the bodies while extinguishing the fire in one of two flats in a small house.

Two children survived the fire, which happened in a village near the town of Sterlitamak, about 1,200 kilometres southeast of the capital Moscow.

According to the Bashkortostan civil protection agency, the dead were a man, a woman, and five boys.

The couple’s household included three children of their own and four adopted or foster children with disabilities. The surviving twins were the couple’s own children.

According to initial investigations, the night-time fire was caused by a short circuit.