Massive riots have broken out in a Russian town after a woman was allegedly murdered by two gypsies.
Angry residents in Korkino in Siberia went on the rampage on Thursday night, torching homes belonging to the city’s Roma community.
Video images show a fire engulfing a building with giant flames leaping into the night sky.
Locals clashed with police in violent scenes as law enforcement officers struggled to contain the mob.
More than 40 people were detained and charged for acts of “hooliganism” as a result of the unrest.
Two of the angry mob were treated for gunshot wounds after coming under fire from a 58-year-old Roma man as he tried to defend his home.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is helping police with their enquiries.
The riots were sparked after a female taxi driver was allegedly stabbed to death by two men from the Roma community.
Yelena Sarafanova, a mother of two, was last seen alive giving a ride to two young Roma brothers.
Her body was discovered on Wednesday with multiple stab wounds, provoking a furious response from residents.
Investigators arrested a seventeen-year-old man in connection with the murder on Thursday.
“A conflict arose between the victim and the suspect, who was travelling by taxi to his place of residence, during which the suspect inflicted at least four stab wounds to the woman’s chest,” investigators said in a brief statement.
They later took another man into custody, with local media reporting that both suspects were from the Roma community.
Federal investigators have taken over the investigation from the local police, and the Kremlin is scrambling to contain the situation.
In an attempt to appease anger, Russia’s Investigative Committee acknowledged that “local residents had long-standing concerns about the Roma community’s unlawful behaviour, which has not been resolved.”
Ethnic minorities in Russia have been subjected to a marked increase in attacks following the terror act carried out by ISIS gunmen on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March that killed over 100 people.