Safety crackdowns at clubs in wake of deadly blaze

The repercussions of a nightclub fire that killed more than 230 people in southern Brazil widened yesterday.

Mayors around the country cracked down on such venues in their own cities, and investigators searched two other night- spots owned by a partner in the club that caught fire.

The death toll was yesterday raised to 234, after authorities earlier said 231 people died.

The Rio Grande do Sul state raised the number to account for three victims whose names did not appear on the original list.

The government of Sao Paulo, promised tougher security regulations for nightclubs and other social venues. President Dilma Rousseff on Monday vowed that “we have the responsibility to make sure this never is repeated”.

Mayors in other cities pledged to follow suit, especially with the start of Carnival coming up, which floods nightclubs with celebratory crowds.

Since the fire, a Rio de Janeiro consumer complaint hotline has received over 60 calls denouncing hazardous conditions at nightspots, theatres, supermarkets, schools, hospitals, and shopping centres.

Blocked emergency exits and non-existent fire alarms and extinguishers top the list of complaints.

Meanwhile, G1, Globo television’s website, said police searched two other Santa Maria venues owned by Mauro Hoffmann, one of the partners of the Kiss nightclub, for evidence that could help shed light on the investigation.

Monday night’s searches yielded no evidence and the site reported that computers that stored images recorded by the Kiss club’s security cameras have not yet been found. G1 cites a police investigator as saying the club owners have insisted the club’s CCTV hadn’t worked in months.

A judge has frozen the assets of both of the club’s owners.

The actions added to a national sense that the early Sunday nightclub fire marked a possible turning point for a country that has long turned a blind eye to safety and infrastructure concerns.

There was no alarm, working fire extinguisher or sprinkler system, and only one working exit in the club, turning it into a death trap, preliminary investigations revealed. Police were leaning toward the idea that pyrotechnics set off by a band were the cause of the blaze.

About 30,000 people marched peacefully outside the club on Monday night to remember the victims and demand justice.