Moscow - Seven Central Asian workers were killed when a fire broke out during construction of an underground garage in Moscow on Tuesday, emergency services officials said.

"Seven people have been killed and three injured, two of them are women," said Igor Kuryakov, a spokesman for the city's emergency services.

"They are all Tajik nationals, who lived and worked on the garage site," he added, saying the blaze spread quickly amid the make-shift housing where about 100 workers were living on the construction site under an apartment complex in south-east Moscow.

News agency Ria-Novosti quoted a police source as saying the improvised housing, heated by electric heaters, had broken fire and safety regulations.

Fires blamed on lax compliance and enforcement of safety regulations are frequent in Russia. Hospital wards, schools and prisons have suffered deadly blazes in the last two years. (dpa)