Tajik migrants rescue two women from shopping center fire in Russia

Two Tajik migrants, Khisravshoh Malikov and Zohirshoh Hasanov, rescued two women from a burning shopping center in Bashkortostan, risking their lives as flames engulfed the building. Their actions attracted widespread attention in Tajikistan and Russia, although local media did not identify them as Tajik citizens, they told Asia-Plus. The fire broke out at the Solnechny shopping center in Sterlitamak on September 22, killing four people and injuring 18 others, according to official data. The blaze covered about 2,100 square meters and was reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit. Asia-Plus spoke with the two rescuers and Muhammadsanjar Rahimov, another Tajik migrant who witnessed the fire and was the first to call the fire service.

‘Nobody dared approach the building’ Malikov, 30, comes from Madm village in the Ayni district of Sughd province and has worked in Russia for more than a decade. He is employed in construction in Sterlitamak. The fire broke out at the Solnechny shopping center in Sterlitamak on September 22, killing four people and injuring 18 others, according to official data. The blaze covered about 2,100 square meters and was reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit. Asia-Plus spoke with the two rescuers and Muhammadsanjar Rahimov, another Tajik migrant who witnessed the fire and was the first to call the fire service. ‘Nobody dared approach the building’ Malikov, 30, comes from Madm village in the Ayni district of Sughd province and has worked in Russia for more than a decade. He is employed in construction in Sterlitamak. He said he was having a meal at a fast-food café when he heard people screaming for help and rushed towards the shopping center. He saw a woman who had jumped from a window and learned that two more women were trapped…