Brazilian judge extends club fire detentions

A JUDGE in Brazil has ordered 30 more days of detention for the owners of a nightclub and band members involved in a fire that killed 236 in the southern town of Santa Maria last weekend.

The order came after a 20-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.

Civil defence authorities in Rio Grande do Sul, the state where Santa Maria is located, said the victim suffered a heart attack while struggling with injuries that included burns on more than half her body.

An additional 126 people remain hospitalised after the fire, which was caused by an outdoor flare set off by a musician
performing at the Kiss nightclub, investigators said.

Yesterday, a judge extended the detention of two owners
of the club and two band members for 30 more days as
police look into safety violations that led to the disaster early on
Sunday.