The first funerals were held on March 28 for victims of a fire at a shopping mall that killed 64 people in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, Radio Free Europe reported.

The funerals took place as the country observed an official day of mourning after the tragedy, Radio Free Europe said.

It followed numerous protests in the city and calls for the regional governor to be sacked, after investigators said that fire exits at the mall were blocked and a fire alarm system was out of service, acocrding to Radio Free Europe. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful