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Brazilian Nightclub Fire Survivors Say Bouncers Made Them Settle Tabs Before Leaving
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 28, 2013
Modified Jan 28, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 28, 2013
Modified Jan 28, 2013
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Brazilian authorities have arrested three people in connection to the devastating nightclub in Santa Maria that killed over 230 patrons. BBC News reports, "An owner of the Kiss nightclub, a member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, and its security chief were being questioned, police said. A fourth person, reported to be a co-owner of the club, is being sought." It's being reported that the nightclub's fire safety certificate expired last year.
The Sunday morning fire broke out when a flare, held up by a member of Gurizada Fandangueira, lit the sound insulation on fire. There was a stampede to get out, but security guards allegedly blocked the exit, demanding that patrons pay their bill (the NY Times explains, "it is common across Brazil for nightclubs and bars to have customers pay their entire tab upon leaving, instead of on a per-drink basis"). However, one witness said that once guards realized it was a fire and not a fight, they let club goers out.
Murilo de Toledo Tiecher told the NY Times that he and his friends "had to push through a crush of people to get around a metal barrier that was preventing the crowd from spilling out into the street. He said some people became trapped after they rushed into the bathroom near the exit, thinking it was a way out. Once he was outside, he said, he tried to pull others to safety. 'If we saw a hand or a head, we’d start pulling the person out by the hair,' he said in a telephone interview. 'People were burned; some didn’t even have clothes.'"
Another club goer, Mattheus Bortolotto, said, "It was sheer horror. The emergency exits did not work, and then I lost my friend in the confusion. Then a girl died in my arms. I felt her heart stop beating." The BBC added, "A large number of victims were trapped in the club's toilets, they said, possibly after mistaking them for an exit." One woman inside the club posted messages on Facebook about the fire; she, her sister and her boyfriend died.
So many bodies were piled up at the entrance that fire officials had difficulty entering the club. Most of the 231 fatalities were killed by smoke inhalation while 82 were hospitalized. Families have started burying their loved ones as the Brazilian government has declared three days of mourning.
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brazil
nightclub
nightclub fire
santa maria
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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