In a tragic accident that occured on Saturday night at Kiss nightclub in Brazil, 232 people were killed after the band's fireworks show sparked a fiery blaze. The tightly pack club quickly erupted into chaos after the blaze started and patrons were unable to find their way out. The military police say that most patrons died of asphyxiation or trampling, and an additional 100 people were injured while attempting to flee.
It is unclear how the fire started exactly, although rumors suggest that one of the band members lit a flare, which caught the ceiling on fire. The flames spread within seconds, and black smoke filled the entire club. Between 1,000 and 2,000 patrons panicked and began to rush towards the doors of the club, pushing and shoving to escape the flames and smoke.
Brazil is apparently under increased scrutiny as it prepares to host the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 summer Olympics, particularly its safety and emergency responsiveness capacity. The incident also brings to mind a similar nightclub incident that occured in Rhode Island when another band's foam sound-proofing material caught fire from the show's pyrotechnics and led to the deaths of 100 concert goers.
