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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 8 p.m. ET: The day after the Brazil nightclub fire, Mattheus Bortolotto described what he experienced to a local television station: "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."
Revelers were celebrating the end of summer late Saturday at the club in Santa Maria when a band’s pyrotechnic display set fire to the soundproofed ceiling and started a fire that claimed 233 lives. Dozens choked to death, and dozens more were trampled in the panic that followed.
The fire appears to have taken a devastating toll on a nearby university: Almost half the victims had ties to the school, many of them there for a party organized by students at Federal University of Santa Maria.
The Federal University of Santa Maria said Monday that 114 people who died at the Kiss nightclub on Saturday night were students, graduates or dropouts. Most of the students killed had just started at the school.
The school said that its Center for Rural Sciences had lost the most students, 64. Among them were 26 agronomy students and 15 studying to be veterinarians. A notice on the school’s website Monday said that classes would be suspended at least through Feb. 1. About 27,000 students are enrolled there.
Also among those killed were five members of the Brazilian Air Force, according to a statement reproduced by Diario. Santa Maria is home to an air base. They will be buried in the region.
Read profiles of the nightclub fire victims at Diario de Santa Maria
More than 100 people remain hospitalized for smoke inhalation, the AP reported.
The coffins were laid out in rows following the fire that killed hundreds at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria after the band's pyrotechnic display set fire to the sound-proofed ceiling. NBC's Keir Simmons reports.
“It’s impossible to predict what will happen, because they are all in a very delicate state, but there’s hope for all of them,” Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame told the AP. He said hospitals in neighboring cities have taken in about 40 patients.
“One of the problems we’re having here is that all these people need to be on respirators and we don’t have enough respirators in the city,” Dr. Beltrame said.
The city’s mortuary was also backed up, the BBC reported, so bodies were lined up at a local gym. Family members were guided through the gym to identify relatives.
At the gym were Leandro Buss, a computer technician, and his 16-year-old son.
“I’m burying my wife today,” Buss, 35, told The New York Times. His wife, Marilene Castro, 33, died at the club. “We’ll see who was responsible for this.”
The cemetery, too, has become overwhelmed by the plots that must be dug immediately. The cemetery has hired eight workers in addition to its usual eight and rented two backhoes, according to the Diario de Santa Maria, the newspaper based in Santa Maria, a city of 263,000 in Brazil’s southernmost state. One apparatus failed, forcing workers to dig out the plots with shovels.
Thousands gathered Monday afternoon at a square in the city center for a short service. They hugged tearfully and when the nondenominational service came to an end, they applauded for a long time, according to the Diario de Santa Maria.
President Dilma Rousseff cut short a visit to Chile, the BBC reported, to visit survivors at a Santa Maria hospital.
"It is a tragedy for all of us," Rousseff told the BBC.
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Rest in Peace. Truly tragic
Much like our Coconut Grove fire, where nearly 500 people were killed. Place was overcrowded. Flamable materials, and decorations, all over the scene. Fire doors locked, or blocked! The trolls, ObamaHaters, and right wing loonies posting here are despicable! Preventable disasters are double tragedies. At least, let's hope some clean up in regs and safety measures, for Brazil, come out of this one, as well. RIP, victims.
Ban pyrotechnics. It is lethal than assault weapons.
Gorge, false equivocation .. But you were looking for negative feedback in trolling this weren't you? You remind me of people who protest funerals.. Sick dude, very sick..
And yet you gave him the negative feedback knowing that's what he wanted. You sure showed him alright.
Gorgey doesn't even know proper grammar.
Of course.. Once they realize you are trolling them, they lose interest because it's no longer any fun. Take the objective away and they simply shut up. ;)
Concerning the Families, my condolences... Clearly there needs to be stricter regulations on whether or not such establishments should be allowed to have pyrotechnics. :/
Assault weapons and trolls aside!!! I do agree no need for pyrotech to be used inside so ban them. They should also ban anyone under 21 from being in a nightclub or ban nightclubs in general, they usually end up creating crime and drunk drivers who kill people anyway. No reason for all the loss of lives when the government has the power to make the world a safer and more tranquil place!
I do feel for the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy, it just keeps repeating itself over and over and over.
Yeah I agree Mike.. We should even be allowed to have nuclear weapons ect without rules and regulations by our government. I can see how that can bring forth a more tranquil place! O.o Yeah because laws and things like fire codes never help prevent such tragedies.. However, I beg to wonder how much a difference there would be in the loss of life if we didn't have any laws ect at all.. How many people would actually use their nukes? .. Now that is an interesting question when we have people in this world that just want to see it burn. And surely enforced fire codes wouldn't have helped prevent this tragedy at all..
Pyrotechnics in a enclosed building with one exit? Both tragic and stupid.
""You don't need to listen to music in a nightclub! End the madness now! Save the teenagers!" - Governor Cuomo on the proposed nightclub ban bill.
A tragic situation indeed. Thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims.
Before a tragedy like this strikes (again) in the US, we should call for our congress to ban high capacity nightclubs. We are living in a world where sensational mass casualties are more important that cancers and heart disease (which cause the majority of the ~2.5 million deaths a year). How can diseases that kill hundreds of thousands possibly matter more than 20 children killed with a gun, or 200 children killed by fire? We need to identify all the causes of death which have a death toll greater than 5 per year, and create a law against them. Freedom is a myth, surrender your bicycles, swimming pools and cheeseburgers and realize that the government knows how you should live better than you! Relinquish all of your freedom of choice, and these 233 victims would not have died in vain!
Is this sarcasm? Yes!
Is this trolling? I am not sure, does not the US congress and our president point to victims of sensational crime and tragedy and call upon the masses to act? what is more personally important to you, the actions of a random fool on the internet posting what I have posted, or a national representative - who you voted for, who's salary you pay, and who's decision impacts your daily life?
Please check out statistics on the CDC's site, and then make an informed decision about what media-driven sensational deaths are really important enough for national attention and action.
You really are a dispicable, hateful person, vomitting your hate into a tragedy like this!
What are you talking about? Science has been in pursuit of curing cancer ect for quite some time now O.o
Yes it has, but how much media/congressional/presidential attention has been given to diseases which kill hundreds of thousands, and are being actively pursued by thousands of researchers? Mass murderers and mass deaths, which despite their name, make up a tiny amount of the deaths per year, are covered by our elected officials and mass media in a ridiculous proportion.
Where are the candle light vigils to thank those working in medical research?
Where are the carcinogen buybacks?
Why isn't President Obama going on TV and asking people to help donate to cancer research funds?
Why doesn't congress endorse legislation which could promote more widespread access to fresh fruit and vegetables (such as by tweaking or eliminating some farming subsidies) or encourage businesses to give their employees time for a brief walk/jog break during the day (by giving a tax bonus, instead of a punishment)?
Why do public figures/media spend the majority of the time trying to get the whole country riled up about things that are less frequent that being struck by lightning, and instead be the role models they should be and help us move forward into a healthier and disease-less future?
You hateful, despicable trolls are out in force tonight. Must be a full-moon! You are beneath contempt. Go peddal your warped logic at some other disaster! What a pathetic bunch of losers!
The potential aids cure got mass media coverage.. What makes you think major breakthroughs in science don't? Higgs Particle discovery was all over the news.. However, I agree that American media sensationalizes and practically glorifies mass murderers ect.. They actually provide incentive for such people to do such things in some cases. Also, things like plane crashes, car accidents ect get mass media coverages too. Anything that will sell as news will.. Sad part about capitalism and media is this sad fact. :/
My favorite Great White song is "Baby's on Fire".
Baby's on fire and I'm burning up. Sparks been flying, she can't get enough.
Joe Scat, from the bottom of my heart, you deserve the same fate.
Yours sincerely!
So tell us, Joey Stugots, why is that your favorite song? Could it be the theme song you play on your boom box while you touch yourself inappropriately in your mommy's basement?
Wow! What was hoping to be a great time turned into a tragic fiery tomb! The emergency exits did not work and many panicked as the place went up like a cheap Chinese sparkler. Sad deal!
In an usurious manner unrelated to the topic but irresistible:
It's it just coincidence or does Chicago have this same above problem on a frequent basis?
Nice HateObama comment, with a twist. Not bad for a hateful troll!
I don't live in Brazil, And like so many others, I don't care.....
So don't read it the article if you don't care what happens outside our borders. I feel sorry for you, to have no empathy with others..
I dont know you C.A but I do care....I hope your whole family dies in a car wreck!
Fortunately, your shallow assertion regarding this tragedy in Brasil was NOT shared by Brasilians and MOST of the world in the aftermath of 9/11.
C.A. Bowels, the entire nation of Brazil is glad you don't live there, and if you ever visited, they would probably hack you to death with machetes as you stepped off the plane, and then set fire to you.
Wow Dude. Really? Mymom thats a little harsh
Is any organization loading a hundred respirators on a plane and flying them down with about ten technicians to hook them up?
I for one am glad the Doors relied on playing music and not pyrotechnic mumbo jumbo.
Well at 2:30 a.m. I was in the bed where a normal person belongs. You live for the devil and you burn with the devil both now and forever. The truth will stand when the world is on fire.
Whispering senseless mumbo-jumbo to your imaginary God, no doubt...
And our compassionate Christian bretheren join the trolls, and right wing whackos, in capitalizing on somebody elses misfortune, and pain. You guys are truly classy! (And probably smart enough to recognize sarcasm, without me pointing it out.)
Nice Jim and so true.....
Yes, you were in the bed with the sheep, smoking crack after the act, when that thought came to you.
Indoor pyrotechnics should be banned because these hot fireworks displays have set many fires and are responsible for many lost lives.
I guess the darwin affect tricked down from the Station Fire........the Brazilian band will be renamed, Las Barbacoas
To bad so many innocent lives were lost at a party.............
C.A. Powell, you don't need to live in Brazil or in any other country to feel sympaty for others, they did pray for those who lost their lives here in that recently shoot out on the elementary school that took so many children's lives. You probably don't have a heart.
I can think back to a few ocassions in my 55+ years, where I suddenly found myself surrounded by a mass of humanity....all trying to head for the 'exit' at the same time. New Years Eve 1975, I was stationed on Oahu. Just before midnite, a bunch of idiots on the rooftops started hurling full bricks of firecrackers down into the crowded main street running thru Waikiki. Everyone surged toward the sidewalks to avoid being hit, which pressed everone up against the walls of the buildings. Then there was a several hour-long power outage that blacked out a lot of the west coast....from Canada to Mexico ( I think it was in the late 90s ). I was at a big amusement park, as sunset approached, and it was becoming obvious that the power would not be restored anytime soon, people started getting 'agitated'......It was also a hot summer day, and there was a element of 'race' involved. A lot of tension between the mostly hispanic & asian crowd......Folks wanted to leave while it was still light, but others jammed the entrance/exit......wanting their refunds. I had to jump a fence at the rear of the park to get to the parking lot. It felt like a riot could've broken out. Then there were the big rock concerts......Everyone trying to leave at the same time.....Getting swept up....& along...bodies packed so tightly together, sometimes you were pressed shoulder to shoulder,,,,being carried along your feet barely even touching the ground. I try to avoid putting myself into these places anymore.......but sometimes ....BAM....the situation just sort of 'unfolds', and there you find yourself.
Ever try to get out of Shea Stadium after a Mets game?
That nightclub had way too many people in it. I would bet that the "Means Of Egress" building codes / laws that we have here in the United States are similar in Brazil... or in other words, they have those codes... which are basically building codes that use a basic calculation depending on the type of building... of space or area and the type of exits/ doors to the outside ...which determines how many people are allowed to safely occupy that area (like, in case of a fire and people can all get out without trampling each other... that kind of thing)
Sometimes the problem is some of these so called "entrepreneurs" purchase an area, or areas and then rehab them but only on the inside. Payoffs may take place because exterior modifications can be big time costs (compared to the interior glitz) due to load bearing walls, proper construction, safety, because almighty DOORS need to be added, (NEED TO BE ADDED TO THE ONES THAT ARE THERE TO INCREASE EGRESS) and not to mention that the construction is visible to the outside and public... making it difficult to hide the possibility of extra costs from a building inspector who will make sure a job is done in accordance to codes.
So... with that said, these maximum occupancy signs you see in places, we would hope they are true to the code and not altered for profit, because that's a possibility as well because greed is so rampant that it's criminal on so many levels. If there were actually employees stopping people from leaving the building after the fire started... then I just don't know what to say about that except - how stupid is that! But then, it is pretty stupid to start fires inside any places where there are a bunch of drunk people. And it's worse when there are too many people coupled with not enough exits. So whoever is responsible for that could be held accountable for those deaths... it isn't just the fire that killed those people (have mercy on their souls), most or all of those people should have been able to get out safely.
So where are the survivor stories? those were relatives stories.
The news stated they arrested the owners and a couple of band members. A lot of good that does.
The people that should be arrested are city officials and inspectors who failed to do their jobs to ensure occupied buildings are complant with safety standards.
That is, if they have any safety standards.
Round them all up. Tie them all together with a rope. Dump a barrel of cachaça on them. Light 'em up. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Enjoy.
Very sad. However, some good may well come of this terrible tragedy. The Soccer World Cup is being held shortly in Brazil...not to mention the next summer Olympic games. This tragedy will ensure that nightclubs and places of public gatherings are now well equipped with adequate exits, sprinklers, etc. This tragedy may well have prevented one of an even larger scale.