52 feared dead in nightclub inferno
52 feared dead in nightclub inferno
Agencies, Jakarta
Police using explosives blew a hole in a nightclub wall to
allow desperate patrons to escape a raging fire that killed up to
52 people in South Sumatra provincial capital of palembang,
officials said Monday.
Some people leapt to their deaths from the top of the five-
story nightclub Heppi Karaoke in Palembang as flames engulfed the
roof, local police spokesman Capt. Arum Prioyono told Associated
Press.
The blaze started late Sunday and is believed to have been
caused by a faulty electrical installation. Firefighters
extinguished the fire on Monday morning.
Rescuers searching through the rubble have retrieved 52
bodies, said Rudi, a fire brigade official.
Police said they could confirm only 42 deaths. But Lt. Tikno
of the Palembang police force said he believed more bodies
remained in the burned-out building.
The death toll could have been higher had the police not used
explosive charges to blast open the wall on the upper floor.
"There may be around 30 more charred bodies on the upper
floor. We will smash anything in our way to reach those victims,
just like we bombed our way in yesterday," Bastoni, head of the
Palembang fire department, said.
Officials blamed poor safety measures behind the death of
those 52 people.
Capt. Arum said the karaoke bar had no proper fire exits.
Officials said many of victims were trapped on the upper
floors. There was no other way out except the stairway through
which to enter these floors.
The absence of alternative entrances and highly inflammable
material decorating the building, slowed firefighters' rescue
efforts.
"That building had neither emergency exits nor stairs. No
preparations for a fire at all. That place should not be there in
the first place," Bastoni said.
The Heppi Karaoke consisted of different bars and restaurants
on all five floors. Although located in one of Palembang's
busiest shopping areas, firefighters were able to prevent the
fire spreading to nearby stores.
Police officials said they had detained the manager of the
nightclub. Its owner, however, was still at large.
The fire marked Palembang's worst fire in five years. In 1998,
a fire at the Megahria store killed 17 people.
In Yogyakarta in 1999, a fire ravaged a theater and killed 14
people, including two Norwegian nationals.
In Central China, a disco fire killed 304 people on Christmas
night in 2000 for which the authorities have jailed 23 people for
up to 13 years.
A year earlier, one of Mexico City's most popular nightclubs
caught fire, killing 20 people. Patrons were prevented from
leaving the burning building by disco personnel who insisted they
pay their bills first.