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The Russian leader on Monday sent his condolences to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff following a fire that broke out in Santa Maria in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing many young clubbers.
Mr. Putin stressed the fact that many casualties were still in their teens made the tragedy even more horrible, the Kremlin reports.
President Putin expressed his condolences to the victims and their families and wished them a speedy recovery.
Three-day mourning announced in Brazil
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has announced a three-day national mourning in connection with the fire at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria in the country’s south, Voice of Russia correspondent Alexander Karasnov reports.
According to the latest information, 233 people – 120 men and 113 women – died in the blaze. There are 92 people at hospitals: most are suffering from inhaling combustion gases.
The fire broke out at the club on Sunday night during a rock concert. The cause of fire was use of pyrotechnics on stage.
In a matter of minutes the blaze had engulfed the room. In a gross violation of safety regulations, there was but one exit – something that resulted in panic and stampede.
The club’s administration has declared its readiness to help investigate the causes of the incident.
Earlier, the authorities said that the club was working without a license – it had expired in August last year.
An independent fire expert, Sergei Nazarov, told the Voice of Russia that the recent fire in Brazil was reminiscent of a similar accident in the Lame Horse nightclub in Russia’s Perm, where fireworks also factored in a mass death of people.
“Unfortunately, such fires are quite common. A similar tragedy struck Russia once, when the Lame Horse club caught fire. Fires, marked by a high death toll of a hundred casualties and more, happen sporadically throughout the world, and fireworks are just one of their causes. I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that fireworks per se don’t necessarily cause the fire death toll to rise, but simply acts as a trigger. Buildings that house such mass events often don’t have any fire alarms installed. Fireworks only start the fire, so it would be wrong to assume that a ban on it would prevent any nightclub fires from happening,” he said.
Voice of Russia
According to new information, 233 died in the Brazil disco fire
According to new data, 233 people died in the fire at the nightclub Kiss in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria. Previous reports mentioned 245 victims. Approximately 50 people are in hospitals, many of them in critical condition.
Investigators have discovered gross violations of fire safety rules at the club. The fire originated from the use of firecrackers and squibs on stage. The administration of the club was unable to provide rapid evacuation of people. There was only one exit, which led to a stampede.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cut short her participation in the EU-Latin America summit in Chile’s capital, and arrived on the scene to meet with victims and their families.
"The Brazilian people are the ones who need me today," she said. "I want to tell the people of Santa Maria in this time of sadness that we are all together."
Brazil fire disco: safety violations discovered
Investigators have discovered gross violations of safety rules at the Brazilian disco where a fire on Saturday night killed at least 233 people. The show managers there badly mishandled squibs and firecrackers, and the club, which accommodated some 2,000 people, had only one narrow exit.
Most of the victims died of smoke inhalation. The rest were crushed to death in a stampede.
Rousseff flies home after disco fire kills hundreds
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has cut short a visit to Chile and flown home after 233 people were killed by a disco fire in Santa Maria in southern Brazil.
The site is being sifted through by emergency services. More than 180 of the bodies have already been identified.
Hundreds of people are in hospital with injuries or burns. The condition of many of them has been described as critical.
Reports say there were about 2,000 people inside the ill-fated disco club. The fire started after assistants of a rock band mishandled a firecracker.
Brazil nightclub fire likely killed more than 200 - police
A nightclub fire in southern Brazil has probably left more than 200 people dead, a senior police official said on Sunday.
Major Gerson da Rosa Ferreira, overseeing rescue efforts at the scene for the military police, told reporters that 159 bodies had already been identified and removed from the nightclub in the southern city of Santa Maria.
He said the victims had suffocated or been trampled, and that the death toll was likely to be above 200 people.
The blaze reportedly began when a performing band started a fireworks display. Acoustic insulation caught fire, and thick smoke filled the club, causing many to die from inhaling the toxic fumes.
At least 90 dead in a nightclub fire in southern Brazil
At least 90 people were killed in a nightclub fire caused by a pyrotechnics show in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria, local media reported on Sunday.
Estado de S.Paulo reported on its website that as many as 2,000 people were in the nightclub when the fire started, and that police were still counting the dead.
All effective fire brigades in the city are taking part in putting out the blaze engulfing the Kiss Nightclub in Andradas Street.
The local governor tweeted, “Sad Sunday. We are taking appropriate action and possible. I'll Be in Santa Maria in the late morning.”
At least 50 other people were injured in the fire, security forces indicated.
Voice of Russia, TASS, Reuters, RT, BBC
