Firefighters worked at the scene throughout the night to put out the fire and have the rescue teams search for the missing people, but hopes of finding someone alive amid the smoldering ruins grew weaker by Tuesday afternoon.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s deadly bombing, but insisted it did not know the mall was open.
Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday morning that Russia had used “high-precision weapons” on Monday to target hangers at a local U.S. and European Union ammunition depot.
Mr Konashenkov said the Russian air strike had destroyed the weapons that would be sent to eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of the war’s fiercest fighting.
He acknowledged that the mall was “on fire” due to the Russian attack, but insisted that Moscow thought it was closed.