At least 17 people were killed early Tuesday in a fire that engulfed a market in southern Moscow, said local authorities.

Rescuers work at the fire site in Moscow, Russia, on April 3, 2012. At least 17 people were killed early Tuesday in a fire that engulfed a market in southern Moscow. The blaze, which erupted at about 4:50 a.m. Moscow time (0050 GMT), burned down a two-storey attachment to a hangar at the Kachalovsky market. The building has been used as a living area for market vendors. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)
A total of 17 bodies have been found at the scene after the place was completely examined, said Viktoria Tsyplyonkova, spokesperson for the municipal investigative committee.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the victims were confirmed as migrant workers, but authorities were still trying to determine which country they came from.

Earlier reports put the death toll at 14 and said all of them were workers from Tajikistan. Xinhua correspondents saw staff members from the Tajik embassy at the scene.

The blaze, which erupted at about 4:50 a.m. Moscow time (0050 GMT), burned down a two-story attachment to a hangar at the Kachalovsky market. The building has been used as a living area for market vendors.

The fire had spread to an area of some 60 square meters before it was extinguished by eight teams of firefighters two hours later, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Earlier, the market's administration told reporters that there could be 15 workers inside the building when the fire broke out.

Malfunction of electric appliances, short circuit and violation of safety rules were seen as possible causes of the tragedy.

The local law enforcement department said that the building was enveloped by thin metal walls with a thermal insulation layer and that the occupants, sleeping on bunk beds, had used various heating devices to keep warm.

Russian Federal Migration Service spokeswoman Zalina Kornilova told reporters that the workers were not registered in the service, which meant that they were illegal workers in Russia.

After the accident, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a thorough check about the places where workers live under inadmissible conditions.

"We should find out who settled the workers there. The place is not fit to live in," Shoigu said.

An investigation into the accident is already under way.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet