The fire in the two-storey building in the city of Kemerovo, Siberia, broke out on Friday night leaving residents in the private facility homeless.

The emergency services crew say the entire second floor has been burned down. Although the ground floor appears to have not been affected by the fire, the roof is said to be unstable and there is damage from attempts by the fire crew to bring it under control.

Whilst the fire has been put out the cold weather is making the search for more survivors and bodies difficult with an official quoted as saying: “At the site of the fire, rescuers continue to work on the rubble in conditions of low air temperature.”

They added: “According to the latest data, 20 people died.”