According to him, there could have been 159 people in the area at the time of the collapse. The calculations are based on the number of used lockers in the cloak room of the water complex. “After the collapse, there were 145 used lockers. In addition, there were 14 personnel in the dangerous zone. One of them was found dead,” Mr. Shoigu said.

He did not say how long the search operation would take. “I cannot give an exact date. I will not hurry people up,” Mr. Shoigu said. He noted that rescuers were working as quickly as they could to clear the rubble.

According to the Emergencies Minister, 14 people were pulled alive from the rubble in the first hours after the collapse, and 39 people were found during the search operation using trained dogs. 59 people who were killed and injured were retrieved from the rubble, he said.

According to Mr. Shoigu, the tragedy was caused by mistakes in the construction and maintenance of the complex. “I hope experts will establish the cause of this tragedy, so that such things would not happen in the future,” he stressed.