Clear-up begins in Moscow concert hall inferno aftermath (VIDEO)

Some fires still burn at the Crocus City concert venue near Moscow, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has said, after Friday evening’s brutal massacre. The attack has left 137 people dead and scores injured, according to official estimates.

In an update on its official Telegram channel, the ministry stated that firefighters are working to extinguish isolated flames on the roof, as well as the second and third floors of the venue, spread over a total area of 500 square meters. 

Over 100 rescue workers are carefully clearing rubble and debris from the venue. Some 41 cubic meters of material has been checked and removed, the ministry said at the time.

The concert hall was set on fire on Friday evening after armed terrorists stormed the venue ahead of a nearly sold-out concert by Russian rock band Picnic. As confirmed by Russia’s Investigative Committee, attackers armed with automatic rifles opened fire on concert-goers and then used some sort of flammable liquid to set the venue on fire.

According to the emergencies agency, the fire ultimately engulfed around 13,000 square meters of the seven-story building, about a third of its entire floor area. Throughout the night, helicopters dropped over 160 tons of water on the building in attempts to put out the blaze, which was mostly contained by around 5am local time.

As seen in videos and photos of the aftermath shared by the emergencies ministry, a large portion of the concert hall’s roof collapsed in the fire, while the top floors of the building are completely burned out.

In the early hours of Saturday, emergency workers reported that they had started discovering bodies under the rubble, with officials suggesting that the total death toll is likely to continue rising as more of the venue is cleared out.