Russian nightclub fire toll rises to 152

MOSCOW - The toll in the Dec 5 deadly blaze at a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm has risen to 152, the regional emergencies service said in a statement Friday.

“On Thursday, Dec 24, two women died in Moscow hospitals,” the statement said.

A total of 74 people remain in hospitals. Doctors say victims suffered extensive burns and severe respiratory injuries.

The fire began in the Lame Horse night club after an indoor firework display went wrong, causing the wicker-decorated ceiling to catch fire. The death toll from the tragedy has risen steadily throughout the recent weeks.

The Perm fire was the deadliest Russia has seen in half a century. In 1961, 110 people, including 106 children, died in a fire that broke out in a wooden school in Chuvashia.

Russia has an appalling fire-safety record.

According to the country’s emergency services, 15,165 people, including 584 children, died in fires across the country in 2008. In the US, which has more than twice the population, the figure is around 3,400 deaths a year.

–RIA Novosti