Nightclub fire death toll reaches 121

Russian officials today said the death toll from a nightclub fire in the city of Perm had now risen to 121.

Many of the 111 people hospitalised are still in a critical condition.

The blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub broke out early on Saturday when an indoor fireworks display ignited the plastic ceiling, which was decorated with wooden branches. The blaze spread swiftly while hundreds of customers tried to flee through a single exit.

Four people including the club owner and pyrotechnics supplier have been jailed pending the investigation into negligence causing death, and several regional fire safety officials have been fired.