In a fire in a discotheque, 242 people lost their lives and over 600 were injured. That was almost nine years ago. Now a court has sentenced four people responsible.
Porto Alegre – Almost nine years after the severe fire in a discotheque in Brazil, which left 242 dead, four people responsible have been sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.
The two operators of the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were sentenced on Friday (local time) for manslaughter to 22 years and six months and 19 years and six months in prison. Two musicians received prison sentences of 18 years each.
In January 2013, the ceiling of the nightclub caught fire when a musician from a band set off fireworks during a student party. The emergency exits were poorly signposted, and the fire extinguishers should not have worked. Most of the young victims were burned or suffocated. 636 people were injured. The fire in the Kiss disco is considered to be one of the worst fire disasters in the history of Brazil.
The judge ordered the immediate arrest of the convicts, but the defense of the men obtained an injunction that initially protected them from imprisonment. The convicted’s attorneys can appeal or request that the sentence be overturned. dpa
