THOUSANDS rallied in the Russian city of Kemerovo today to demand a full investigation into Sunday’s shopping centre blaze that killed at least 64 people.

Crowds gathered outside the regional government building, accusing local officials of covering up the full scale of the tragedy.

“We’re not calling for blood,” said protester Igor Vostrikov. “The children are dead, you can’t give them back. We want justice.”

Mr Vostrikov maintains that, since the arcade’s entire cinema burnt down, the number of dead is probably far higher than the official tally.

Told by a deputy governor of the city that he was indulging in a “PR stunt,” Mr Vostrikov revealed that his wife, sister and three daughters aged two, five and seven had perished in the flames.

Another deputy governor, Vladimir Chernov, told the crowd he was ready to resign if the people desired it, meeting cries of “resign, resign!”

Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin reported today that the fire alarms in the Winter Cherry centre had not been operational for two weeks, and when a security guard was alerted to the blaze he switched off the public announcement system.

The guard has been detained, but investigators say they have not received a “reasonable” explanation for the bizarre move.

Kemerovo Governor Aman Tuleyev met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited to lay flowers. Mr Tuleyev said “the opposition” had fomented protests and claimed the families of victims were not demonstrating.

Mr Putin did not visit the rally but, after being accosted by protesters in the lobby of the morgue who demanded he fire Mr Tuleyev, he promised that “everyone” responsible would answer for the deaths, which he blamed on “criminal negligence, sloppiness.”

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation backed victims’ accusations that there was an attempt to “conceal the number of victims” and “whitewash officials.”

“The reason for this catastrophe is the greed of the owners and corruption,” said Communist MP Nikolai Kolomeitsev, who said the Winter Cherry complex was a converted factory which did not meet proper safety standards and that shoppers had previously reported leaks and sparks emanating from its ceilings.

The party would insist on a full parliamentary investigation to establish the truth, he said.