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Owner Arrested in Russian Nightclub Fire

Stampede for single exit after fireworks ignited ceiling

By the Associated Press

Posted Dec 5, 2009 9:02 AM CST

(AP) – Russian authorities have arrested the owner and manager of a nightclub in the industrial city of Perm where a fire killed at least 109 people and critically injured about 90 early this morning. They are said to be looking for another four suspects. "They have neither brains, nor conscience," President Dmitry Medvedev said, urging the toughest possible punishment. He declared a national day of mourning Monday.

The blaze, sparked by onstage fireworks, tore through the club's ceiling, covered in decorative twigs and plastic sheeting, officials said. Many victims died in a panicked crush for the single exit. The club, called the Lame Horse, had been fined twice in the past for breaking fire safety regulations, authorities said, and managers were to report on fixing the flaws next Monday. Medvedev urged changes in the law to toughen punishment for violation of fire safety standards.

Russian police outside a nightclub in Perm, Russia, early Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. An explosion apparently caused by pyrotechnics tore through the nightclub, killing more than 100 people.
Russian police outside a nightclub in Perm, Russia, early Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. An explosion apparently caused by pyrotechnics tore through the nightclub, killing more than 100 people.   (AP Photo/Mikhail Duzhba)
In this image made from RTR Russian Channel, rescuers carry the body of a victim outside a nightclub in Perm, Russia, early Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009.
In this image made from RTR Russian Channel, rescuers carry the body of a victim outside a nightclub in Perm, Russia, early Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/RTR Russian Channel)
In this image made from RTR Russian Channel, rescuers carry the body of a victim outside a nightclub in Perm, Russia, early Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009.
In this image made from RTR Russian Channel, rescuers carry the body of a victim outside a nightclub in Perm, Russia, early Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/RTR Russian Channel)
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
RCAnder
Dec 5, 2009 5:15 AM CST
Didn't that happen in New Jersey a few years ago?
JoeQ
Dec 5, 2009 4:13 AM CST
This is not the first time pyrotechnics lit the ceiling of a nightclub on fire.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

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