As many as 40 people are feared to be trapped in an inferno which has broken out in a ten storey building in Moscow.
Several people have been seen on the roof of the Grand Setun Plaza building in Kuntsevo district, nine miles from the Kremlin.
A team of around 200 firefighters are at the scene attempting to save the lives of those trapped inside the building.
Estimates from the scene suggest as many as 40 people are inside the out of control inferno.
A total of 120 people have been so far rescued from the burning building to the waiting fleet of around 15 ambulances outside.
The fire is believed to have started on the first floor before spreading as high as the fourth. It is feared the flames are blocking the emergency exits.
Vladimir Putin’s newly appointed emergencies' minister Major-General Alexander Kurenkov - his former bodyguard - rushed to the scene to take charge of fighting the inferno.
He said: “The search for people continues."
The cause of the blaze is currently unknown although local news reports suggest it had been a short circuit.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations added: "According to the first information, the fire area is 1,000 square meters.
"There are 180 firefighters on the spot."
Nearby streets have been closed to members of the public as the fire rages.
It is the latest in an unusual spate of Russian fires, some regarded as arson possibly related to the war with Ukraine.
One concerned resident tweeted: "Were fires always so frequent in Russia or are we now just more aware of that?"
