The foreign ministry is in the process of clarifying whether any Armenians were among the casualties of the deadly fire in the Russian city of Kemerovo.

The ministry will make an official statement shortly, spokesman Tigran Balayan told PanARMENIAN.Net.

At least 53 people, including dozens of children, have died in the fire that tore through a shopping and entertainment complex in Kemerovo.

Some 660 emergency personnel were deployed in the rescue effort. Firefighters tackled the blaze for more than 17 hours.

Kemerovo, a key coal-producing area, lies about 3,600km (2,200 miles) east of Moscow.

In a message, president Serzh Sargsyan expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart over the deadly fire.