Dozens die in nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil

[Batta]

At least 90 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in southern Brazil, police say.



They say the fire began when a band on stage started a fireworks display at the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul state.

Reports say there was only one exit and panic spread as people tried to get out. Many victims reportedly died from inhaling toxic fumes.

The fire is now out and bodies are being removed from the scene.

"Fire services are looking for other victims. We can't give an exact number of victims. People started panicking and ended up treading on each other," fire chief Guido de Melo told local media.

A reporter at the scene told local radio that the nightclub had a capacity for up to 2,000 people and was believed to be full on a Saturday night.

Thick smoke engulfed the venue after acoustic insulation caught fire, officials say.

Fire crews reportedly knocked through a wall to help those trapped inside escape.

The death toll could be as high as 130, the reporter said.

Hundreds of people have been taken to hospital.

Update: Ansa announces around 137 confirmed deaths at 12:48 UTC+1



Update: At least 180 people have died (BBC) 14:16 UTC+1

Update: At least 245 people have died (BBC) 15:56 GMT

[AK47]

Dayum. People should understand that you do not use fireworks inside. :poke:

[JayL]

Update your number to approximately 200. So far they have not gathered a full official list of the dead. State governor and our Bulgarian president herself said they will visit the city. Police say most of the people there died of intoxication and haven't found any burnt bodies yet, and they will have quite a while of work getting all corpses out.
Post Merge: January 27, 2013, 02:25:05 pmFirefighter Corps say 245 dead

[Leonardo]

Was about to post this... this is definetly the worst tragedy in the history of our state. Santa Maria is about 300km from where i live, and i know quite a few people whose parents lived there - They're taking the corpses away from the scene with heavy cargo trucks, so you can imagine the situation. I've also heard in the local radio that the club security had attempted to lock the main entrance and the emergency exit to avoid people from leaving without paying, hopefully it's a lie...

Death toll is about 250 now, and it might raise, since the club had about 1,500 people by the time the fire started.

[Mikal]

How the fuck do this many people manage to die in a fire? :trust:

[Jamba]

How the f**k do this many people manage to die in a fire? :trust:

Imagine more than 200 people inside a place where they have blocked the door. You simply can't get out, so you can just scream until you die. Really sad.

[PulseEffect]

My thoughts are with those of the dead people's family and friends.

[Leonardo]

How the f**k do this many people manage to die in a fire? :trust:

The main entrance was blocked out by club security according to testimonies, the only exit in the club was the emergency door - quite small, for the number of people inside the club, the fire has spread EXTREMLY quick (matter of about 3 ~ 5 minutes) inside the entire club, and most people who were trying to leave fainted inside and died of asphyxia, it was a TOTAL confusion with nearly 2,000 people trying to run off at the same time - just think about the scene.

[Brian]

Im listening the radio and it said 243 got found dead so far

[Mikal]

The main entrance was blocked out by club security according to testimonies, the only exit in the club was the emergency door - quite small, for the number of people inside the club, the fire has spread EXTREMLY quick (matter of about 3 ~ 5 minutes) inside the entire club, and most people who were trying to leave fainted inside and died of asphyxia, it was a TOTAL confusion with nearly 2,000 people trying to run off at the same time - just think about the scene.

2,000 people fit in a night club though?

[matheus_98]

All news at http://www.cnn.com

[JayL]

2,000 people fit in a night club though?

2.000 irresponsible people certainly do. Accidents in nightclubs because of complete irresponsibility are commonplace, though this one broke all records of stupidity and carelessness, both from the staff and the people who went there.

[Thom]

My thoughts are with those of the dead people's family and friends.

[Vector]

it would be a moment of sadness and sorrows to the people's homes who died in this accident 

[Leonardo]

Pyrotechnic equipment in a indoor place should be plain common sense rather than law regulation.. The overall number of dead now confirmed; 245.

2,000 people fit in a night club though?

Yes, but i'm pretty sure it exceeded the normal capacity of the club. The problem here was the rather small exit, allied to the club's security stupidity and the panic, which is inevitable.