The death toll from Khakassia fires has increased from 16 to 23, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said on Monday.

"Investigators have information about 23 fatalities to date," he told Interfax.

Markin also said that Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin on Monday combined the five inquiries into Khakassia fires and handed them over to the Investigative Committee's main investigation department for further probing.

Bastrykin arrived in Abakan on Monday to meet with the federal and local investigative committee officials, investigators, and representatives of the regional interior, security and emergencies departments, and republic prosecutor's office.

"To speed up the initial stage in the investigation local investigators will be aided by colleagues from Krasnoyarsk territory, Tyva, the Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions, and forensic experts from the Russian Investigative Committee's Main Forensic Examinations Department," Markin said.

Investigators continue examining the scenes and questioning witnesses and victims, he said.

"After all circumstances of the criminal case are established, a legal assessment will be made of fire safety officials' actions or inactivity," he said.

Spokeswoman for the head of the Republic of Khakassia Olga Kolesnikova said earlier that the death toll from the fires had risen to 16.

The most recent reports indicate that more than 900 people had been injured in fires. "Overall, 905 people sought medical attention. Over 800 patients were moved to outpatient clinics and 102 were hospitalized. Seventy-seven of them remain in hospitals," the top regional health official Natalya Kagan said.

Four victims are in extremely serious condition. The condition of 43 victims is serious but stable. There are three children among those hospitalized, she said.