Over 200 animals killed after blaze rips through zoo

More than 200 animals have been burned alive after a blaze at a zoo in Crimea.

The fire started at about 3am local time and was only fully put out at 7am, said the Russian Regional Investigation Department. The blaze tore through an area of around 625sqm, leaving firefighters unable to rescue most of the animals after their enclosures burnt to the ground.

Investigators believe that the large amount of flammable items, like hay and wood, made it harder to bring the fire under control. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (RMES) confirmed that 26 people and six pieces of fire equipment had to be used. An emergency services spokesperson said: "More than 200 zoo inhabitants died. The bears, whose enclosure was on the first floor, and several other animals were rescued."

In total, only two bears could be rescued. They were saved by brave employees of the RMES, reports say. Meanwhile, one woman was found unresponsibe in a smoke-filled room. She is now in a stable condition and being cared for by medics. An investigation has been started to identify the cause of the fire at the zoo, which is known as "Tropic Park" for its wide range of exotic animals. The zoo - which was built in an abandoned kids amusement park - is located in the seaside city of Yevpatoria.

A number of animals, including crocodiles, lemurs, monkeys, parrots, pythons, turtles and pigs take up the ground floor, while the second floor is filled with reptiles and arachnids. The third floor is home to colourful and energetic birds, reports say.