Brazilian news sites began publishing lists of cities where traditional carnival processions will not be held this year. Authorities canceled celebrations due to mourning for those killed in the fire at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. According to the latest data, the death toll reached 235.
In Rio Grande do Sul, 22 cities canceled carnivals, according to the news portal Globo. Two other cities have not decided yet; in one, officials are waiting for the mayor, who is on a business trip, to return. The city of São Gabriel announced it would postpone the celebration to February 22-24. In Pelotas, preparations for the carnival have been suspended, but it appears the festivities will go ahead. The official carnival days in Brazil are February 8-12.
Meanwhile, one of the nightclub owners attempted suicide. Elissandro Spohr, who is hospitalized after carbon monoxide poisoning, disconnected a hose in the shower and began tying it to a window but was stopped by police assigned to guard him. "Everything indicated he was going to hang himself. He was completely depressed," said Santa Maria police chief Lilian Carus.
The second club owner, Mauro Hoffmann, was also arrested. Along with him, the vocalist of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, which was performing on stage the night of the fire, and the club's head of security were taken into custody. Doctors say people are arriving at hospitals showing signs of chemical pneumonia.
About 20 people who inhaled carbon monoxide have already sought medical help. Symptoms of such pneumonia—fatigue, shortness of breath—can appear after five days. All of them have been hospitalized and placed on oxygen. Also in hospitals are 75 club visitors in critical condition. Another 17 people are in intensive care but are out of danger, according to the portal Tribuna da Bahia. The total number of injured has reached 145.
Psychologists at the Santa Maria Center for Psychosocial Assistance are manning phones around the clock—people who lost loved ones in the fire contact them. Doctors from Chile and Argentina have shared supplies of donor human skin, as most patients have severe burns. Uruguayan doctors sent containers with amniotic membrane, consisting of epithelial cells, used to treat severe eye burns.
Flames engulfed the Kiss club in the early hours of Sunday around 2:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. Moscow time). Experts believe the fire was caused by fireworks. The rock band Gurizada Fandangueira put on a pyrotechnic show on stage; several sparks from the fireworks hit the club's ceiling, and the structure caught fire. According to eyewitnesses, the flames spread through the venue within minutes. Police say about 1,500 people were in the club that night.
Television showed footage of young people joining firefighters trying to break into the club through windows and walls using axes and sledgehammers. The state fire chief said the club owners did not yet have a license to operate; the documents were in the process of being replaced. However, the club was opened to visitors. Launching fireworks in an enclosed space and a door locked by security guards were the reasons for such a high death toll, police believe. Brazil has declared mourning for the victims.