109 killed in Russian club fire

Perm, Russia, Dec 5: At least 109 people were killed and dozens injured overnight to Saturday when a blaze sparked by indoor fireworks swept through a Russian nightclub, in one of the deadliest tragedies to hit Russia in recent years.

Flames ripped through the Lame Horse nightclub in the Ural city of Perm as around 230 people celebrated the popular venue’s eighth anniversary, local police said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

Russian television showed bodies being piled up outside the club by rescue workers. The windows of the one-story building were shattered and charred.

Local residents said the fire could have spread quickly because a barn theme meant the club was decorated with highly flammable straw panels.