Turkey extends condolences to Russia over fire incident

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Monday sent a condolence message to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev over the fatal fire incident at a shopping mall in Siberia that killed at least 53 people, according to the Turkish Prime Ministry.

In a statement issued by the Prime Ministry, Yildirim said: “I have learned with great sorrow that many people, including children, lost their lives or got injured in the fire incident at a shopping mall in Kemerovo city of Russia."

He offered condolences to “the friendly Russian people” and the Russian government over the “painful” incident.

Yildirim also wished patience for the relatives of the ones who lost their lives, according to the statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also offered condolences early Monday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu

"Saddened by the news that many people lost their lives because of the fire in Russia's Kemerovo city," he tweeted. "I would like to offer condolences to the Russian people and state, as well as the victims' families."

The fire in the Siberian city of Kemerovo started on the mall’s fourth and top floors and then consumed an area of about 1,600 square meters, according to Russian firefighting officials.

Twenty people were rescued from the building and some 100 others were evacuated while 16 people remain missing from the blaze.