Over 175 killed in Buenos aires rock concert

Victims mostly died after inhalating smoke. The fire began when a flare burned the acoustic roof of the night club. At the time of the catastrophe 4,000 were in and exit doors were blocked.

A fire at a night club in Buenos Aires killed 175 and left nearly 650 wounded on Thursday, after a firework fired by one of the spectactors burned the flamable acoustic roof. Most of the victims died after inhalating smoke, as acording to witnesses exit gates were blocked rising the death toll to outstanding levels.

The smoke spread all over the place making the air unbreathable sparking panic among the crowd. Spectatros rushed to the exit gates, only to find them blocked. According to witnesses, only two of them were opened.

However, officials stressed that the death toll is provisional and could rise even further. “It was a terrible night”, told the press, Argentine major Anibal Ibarra. Prosecutors, in turn, blamed Buenos aires authorities and the owner of the club for the tragedy.

Argentine Interior Minister, Anibal Fernandez, said spectators were “condemned to a deadly trap”, as confirmed that the capacitiy of the club was exceeded by the number of people.

Bodies were lined up outside the Cro-Magnon Republic club in downtown Buenos Aires as firefighters attempted to put out the blaze, which broke out close to midnight.  Young people helped the injured until dozens of ambulances arrived and headed off to three city hospitals.

Approximately 1,500 young people were inside the disco hearing a concert by the rock group Los Callejeros, police said. However, witnesses told that there were around 2,000 more people than allowed in the place as the fire broke.

On Friday morning, relatives of the victims lined up before public hospitals gates waiting for news on the wounded and reports coming out from the identification process. Also on Friday morning, Ibarra confirmed that the club had the legal permissions in order.

Buenos Aires