Supermarket owners jailed for blaze that killed 374

The father-and-son owners of a Paraguayan supermarket engulfed by a blaze that left 374 confirmed dead were handed prison terms of 12 and 10 years respectively for manslaughter and endangerment charges.

Relatives protested outside the court that the sentences were too light, insisting the pair should have each received the maximum 25 years in prison allowed under the constitution.

“Killers! Killers!” people chanted in a crowd of about 700 relatives and friends of the victims who marched to the court complex in protest.

The convictions and prison sentences in relation to the 2004 fire were meted out by a three-judge court against businessman Juan Pio Paiva, 64, and his son Daniel Paiva, 40.