Ukraine Clashes: Dozens Reported Dead After Odessa Building Fire
Police say people choked to death on smoke or were killed jumping out of window after assault on trade union building
Howard Amos in Odessa
theguardian.com, Friday 2 May 2014 15.44 EDT
More than 38 people were reported to have been killed in violent and chaotic clashes in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Friday as pro-Ukrainian activists stormed a building defended by protesters opposed to the current government in Kiev and in favour of closer ties with Russia.
Odessa's large Soviet-era trade union building was set alight as pro-Ukrainian activists mounted an assault as dusk fell. Police said at least 38 people choked to death on smoke or were killed when jumping out of windows after the trade union building was set on fire.
Bodies lay in pools of blood outside the main entrance as explosions from improvised grenades and Molotov cocktails filled the air. Black smoke from the building and a burning pro-Russian protest camp wreathed the nearby square.
Pro-Russian fighters mounted a last-ditch defence of the burning building, tossing masonry and Molotov cocktails from the roof on to the crowd below.
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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/ukraine-dead-odessa-building-fire