Fire in Brazilian Night club kills more than 245 people

sometimes, some keywords enthuse you ~ but you end up nowhere.  A tragic incident widely reportedly made me trail ‘Minuano Indians’.  Minuano reportedly is a cold southwesterly wind blowing in the winter (June through September) in the coastal region of southern Brazil, the country of the Minuano Indians.  but, where from the Indian connection, I could not decipher……  the sad news is of more than 245 people dying in a fire.  We have read about devastating fire accidents and most of them related to destruction of property, here it is of invaluable human lives… far away in Brazil. 

Santa Maria is a municipality in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. In 2007, its population was 263,403 inhabitants in a total area of 1,823 km2.  Rio Grande do Sul, which I understand means ‘Great Southern River’  is the southernmost state in Brazil.  This place is in news for wrong reasons and the tragic accident made Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cancel her trip and head back to Brazil.  The President was reported to be close to tears as she spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a summit of Latin American and European leaders.  Press reports suggest that Ms Rousseff is now travelling to the city of Santa Maria where the tragedy took place at approximately 2 a.m. local time, when the Kiss nightclub was crowded with more than 1,000 customers.

Globo quoted firefighters as saying the blaze was apparently caused by sparks from faulty sound and light equipment.  Official cause unknown, but reports claim it was caused by a firework during a band performance.  They said most of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation, but some people may have died as customers rushed in a panic for the club's sole exit. Officials of Rio Grande do Sul, called the tragedy the worst of its kind in the state's history.

Initial reports were that 90 people perished in the blaze, but firefighters quickly updated the figures as the extent of the fire was revealed. There are fears that death toll still unknown and may be higher as more bodies are pulled from wreckage while hundreds more are expected to be injured.  Reports suggest that people ran to safety and try to rescue others after the  massive inferno tore through the  Brazil nightclub.  Reports suggest the name of the place as Kiss club in the city of Santa Maria, 550km from Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, while a band was performing.  'Sad Sunday', tweeted Tarso Genro, the governor of the State.  There have been deaths in some other fire accidents in night clubs, but the death toll here is reportedly the highest. 

Sad to read about  the death of so many people

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

27^th Jan 2013.. photos courtesy www.dailymail.co.uk