‘Mum, we’ve got a problem’: Haunting video message shows moment flames tear through Lord of the Rings-themed summer camp killing girl, 11, and leaving three others fighting for their lives in Russia
- Blaze at Holdomi ski resort in Khabarovsk region of Russia began just after 2am
- Inferno killed Sonya Valova, 11, and seriously injured three other child campers
- Believed to have started when clothes drying on electric heater caught alight
An 11-year-old girl was killed and three other children were left fighting for their lives after a fire at a Lord of the Rings-themed holiday camp in eastern Russia.
The blaze at the Holdomi ski resort in the Khabarovsk region started just after 2am and is believed to have been caused by clothes drying on an electric heater.
One child sent a chilling video home showing the inferno with the message: ‘Mum, we’ve got a problem here.’
Children were forced to flee from the burning tents in the crammed co-ed camp site in just their underwear and nightclothes.
Sonya Valova, 11, has been named as the girl who lost her life, while Elizaveta, 12, Veronika, 13, and Alexey, 11, are said to be ‘balancing on the very edge’ and using artificial respirators.
An 11-year-old girl was killed and three other children were left fighting for their lives after a fire at a Lord of the Rings themed holiday camp in eastern Russia. Pictured: children at the camp in the days before the fire
The blaze at the Holdomi ski resort in the Khabarovsk region started just after 2am and is believed to have been caused by clothes drying on an electric heater. One child sent a chilling video home showing the inferno with the message: ‘Mum, we’ve got a problem here’
Elizaveta is said to have suffered burns on 90 per cent of her body after the terrifying blaze.
Twenty out of 26 tents were totally destroyed by the raging fire at the camp which accommodated 189 children, reports the Siberian Times.
The camp was themed on Lord of the Rings, and organised games were linked to the famous story.
Viktor Starkov, head of Solnechny District, where the camp is located, said: ‘Three children are in extremely grave conditions, balancing on the very edge.
‘They have severe burns, they are on artificial lungs ventilation.’
One parent said: ‘The fire began soon after 2am in one of the tents. According to a girl from the camp, the clothes were drying on an air heater.
‘It was cold at night, and many used such heaters. The fire immediately caught all inside the tent.’
Twenty out of 26 tents were totally destroyed by the raging fire at the camp which accommodated 189 children
The camp was themed on Lord of the Rings, and organised games were linked to the famous story
The flames rapidly spread to other tents.
‘Amid the scenes of carnage, it appeared miraculous more were not hurt or killed in the summer camp at Holdomi ski resort,’ reported The Siberian Times.
Group leaders evacuated the children but sources said camp staff tried to fight the fire themselves before calling the emergency services and in doing so ‘lost valuable time’.
An unnamed parent said: ‘All their belongings were burnt in the fire, and children ran out in their pyjamas.
‘Many were barefoot. We came to pick up our child soon after 3am… parents keep coming.’
Children and their parents were given psychological assistance after the fire.
A criminal investigation is expected into the disaster.
One lawyer Mikhail Slepsov said there appeared to have been multiple safety violations and he expected tough punishments for the camp owners.
A criminal investigation is expected into the disaster, with one lawyer saying there appeared to have been multiple safety violations