<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>At least eight people died in a fire that ripped through temporary housing for construction workers in Moscow-annexed Crimea, the Russian emergency situations ministry said on Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The fire broke out overnight in a two-storey building for construction workers near Crimea's port city of Sevastopol, the ministry said.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"As a result of the fire, eight people died and two were injured," it said, adding that the fire had been "completely extinguished" by Thursday morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Two of the injured were in hospital in a stable condition, according to the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">He said the victims were building workers from "different Russian regions", who were involved in the construction of a major highway across the peninsula.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Local investigators said a criminal probe has been launched on charges of "death by negligence".</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">More than 100 people lived in the temporary accommodation, they added.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Russian news agency TASS cited a law enforcement source as saying the fire could have been caused by an electrical appliance short-circuiting.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, following a referendum that was not recognised by Kyiv or its Western allies. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>