4 arrested in Brazil nightclub fire case as thousands march and mourn over 200 dead
Mourners released white balloons into the night sky during the vigil and held a moment of silence after thousands of people took part in a march after the nightclub fire killed 231 and left another 70 in critical condition.
Sky.com detailed in a Jan. 29 article the march of mourners dressed in white and carried photographs of those who lost their lives.
“I believe that it’s not just me but everyone in this world who has a heart has been affected (by the fire), anyone who has family, who has a friend,” said Jose Luiz Fagundes, a resident of Santa Maria, the southern city where the blaze happened.
Local resident Marcia Ferreira lost 25 friends in the fire and said she attended the Kiss nightclub regularly.
“I don’t have words to describe this, they were 25 of my friends,” she said.
Police have arrested the owners of the club and two members of the band Gurizada Fandangueira. Authorities say the group’s pyrotechnics show triggered the blaze.
No charges were filed against the four men, but prosecutors said they could be held for up to five days as police press them for clues as to how the fire caused so many deaths.
Most of those who died were suffocated by toxic fumes that rapidly filled the Kiss nightclub after the band set off a flare at about 2:30am on Sunday, authorities said.
Photo screenshot of video coverage: http://on.aol.com/video/raw–deadly-nightclub-fire-protested-in-brazil-517656084