Law enforcement officers are considering two versions of the fire that began on Dec. 4 morning at the Odesa College of Economics, Law and the Hotel and Restaurant Business, said Oleh Bekh, the police chief of Odesa region.
“As part of the investigation … 44 people have already been questioned who testified about the fire. Now the police are considering two versions: a fire due to a fault in the wiring and deliberate arson,” Bekh said during a joint meeting with representatives of the authorities, law enforcement agencies and education institutions in Odesa regional state administration on Dec. 5.
As of the morning of Dec. 5, it is known that 28 people were injured as a result of the fire and were sent to hospitals, one of them is a girl, born 2003, who received injuries incompatible with life. The fate of another 15 people is still unknown, their whereabouts are being established, the Odesa Region Police Liaison Department said.
At the same time, according to the State Emergency Service, the fate of 14 people is not known.
As reported, a fire broke out on the third floor of a 6-story educational building in the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business at 10:12 a.m. on Dec. 4, the area of which reached 4,000 square meters. At 2:18 p.m., the fire was localized but not extinguished as of the morning of Dec. 5.
A criminal case was opened under Part 2 of Article 270 (violation of fire safety requirements established by law) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 are announced mourning days in Odesa.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that as of 06:00 a.m. on Dec. 5, one student died, 14, including five students, went missing and 27 injured people were hospitalized after a fire at the education premises of Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business.
