ST. PETERSBURG, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - Six people died in a fire that broke out in a residential building in a village near St. Petersburg early on Thursday, emergencies officials said.

The fire occurred in a flat in a five-storey building in the village of Izvara. The bodies are being identified and the cause of the blaze investigated, officials said.

The blaze is among the worst, in terms of the number of fatalities, to hit the region since the start of this year, emergencies officials also said.