200 teenagers dead in nightclub fire in southern Brazil

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at Kiss nightclub in the southern city of Santa Maria, 187 miles (301km) west of the state capital of Porto Alegre, in this picture taken by Agencia RBS, January 27, 2013 where least 200 people were killed. (Reuters photo)

SAO PAULO: In a horrific tragedy that would raise serious questions about public safety in Brazil, some 200 people — mostly teenagers — were killed in an inferno that swept through a nightclub, Kiss, in Santa Maria, a small city in Rio Grande do Sul, the prosperous southern state which shares its border with Argentina and Uruguay.

The inferno started during the fireworks show when a band was playing in the club on Saturday night. As fireworks hit the ceiling of the club, packed with 2,000 teenagers enjoying a Saturday night party, the soundproofing material made of foam caught fire and within minutes the club was engulfed in huge flames and thick smoke, with most young boys and girls being asphyxiated or trampled to death. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com