Moscow: The death toll in the massive blast triggered by fireworks at a jampacked Russian nightclub in the Ural mountain city of Perm rose to 109, amid fears that it could increase further, as officials on Saturday ruled out a terrorist attack.
The blast caused a panic and stamped, wounding 130
people who had assembled for a weekend revelry to celebrate
the highly popular nightclub's 10th anniversary, ITAR-TASS
reported.
"During the fire, 102 people died. Seven more have
died in hospital," the spokesman of the Investigation
Committee was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency
RIA Novosti.
But unofficial figures put the toll at 113. Local
radio stations, quoting officials, said it could climb further
as 88 of the injured were in critical condition.
Health Minister Tatyana Golikova said dozens of people
were being kept alive on medical ventilators. She said most of
the injured have more than 50 percent burns on their bodies.
"Unfortunately, the burns are quite serious... There
are 130 people in hospital, of whom 88 are in a serious
condition. Of these, 59 have been put on medial ventilators,"
the minister told President Dmitry Medvedev.
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev told the President
that the initial probe had ruled out any evidence of a
terrorist act.
Medvedev declared a state of mourning on Monday in his
televised address where he called for stringent action against
the culprits. However, it was not yet clear whether the gala
closing of the 'Year of India' on Monday in the state-owned
Bolshoi Theatre by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be held
as per schedule.
220 people were packed for a weekend revelry in the
club around midnight when the mishap took place. The tragedy
happened when the organisers of the party put up a fireworks
display inside the nightclub, as embers caused flames which
swept through the club as people scrambled for safety.
"The majority of the deaths were the result of burns
or gas inhalation," said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for
Russia's top investigative body, adding "Along with this,
there was a crush at the exit."
The presidential announcement said the flags
throughout the country would fly at half mast and all
entertainment programmes in theatres would be cancelled.
Singh is arriving here tomorrow on a three-day visit
and is scheduled to hold talks with President Medvedev and
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday and was to formally
close the 'Year of India' fest in Russia.
FSB security service experts ruled out possibility of
a terrorist act as no traces of explosives were found in the
Lame Horse club, Novosti reported.
"There is no chance it was a terrorist act, I can say
that 100 per cent," the investigative committee's spokesman
Markin said, adding "The accident was due to a violation of
instructions when launching fireworks".
The video footage captured by some visitors on their
mobile phones shows the straw and plastic ceiling catching
fire.
The authorities have detained two partners and
managers of the nightclub, who were trying to flee the city.
In February 2008, a fire in the Golden Rock nightclub
in the Siberian city of Omsk had killed four people. In March
2007, ten people died in an accident during a so-called "fire
show" at a Moscow club.
US saddened by deadly Russian nightclub blaze
Washington: The United States voiced regret
today over a devastating nightclub fire in Perm, Russia in
which at least 109 people were killed.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of yet another tragedy
striking Russia in the city of Perm," said National Security
Council Spokesman Mike Hammer in a statement.
"Coming on the heels of the recent attack on the
Moscow-Saint Petersburg train, this significant loss of life
and multiple casualties are especially painful," he added.
At least 109 people were killed and dozens injured
overnight today when a blaze sparked by indoor fireworks swept
through a Russian nightclub, in one of the deadliest tragedies
to hit Russia in recent years.
Flames ripped through the Lame Horse nightclub in the
Ural city of Perm as around 230 people celebrated the popular
venue's eighth anniversary, local police said, quoted by
Russian news agencies.
The tragedy came a week after a train blast on a busy
railway from Moscow to Saint Petersburg killed 26 people and
renewed fears of terror attacks in Russia's heartland.
A Chechen rebel splinter Islamist group has claimed
responsibility for the train blast.
Perm is a city of around a million people and lies about
700 miles east of Moscow in Russia's Ural mountains.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, December 06, 2009, 08:48