Death toll in Perm nightclub fire rises to 150

About 79 people injured in the fire remain in hospitals in Perm, Chelyabinsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. More than 20 of them are in critical condition.
The fire at the nightclub Lame Horse in Perm occurred on the night from Friday to Saturday, December 5. Evacuation from the club was obstructed by narrow escape routes. As a result, many visitors suffocated from carbon monoxide or were killed in a stampede.
Perm Regional Security Minister Igor Orlov blamed the tragedy on a fireworks incident that caused a fire on the stage.
The accident occurred at about 02:15 local time (about 2015 GMT) when the party was in progress. The firecrackers brought for the party were too big for closed premises and were intended for use outdoors. As a result, one of the firecrackers exploded.
The nightclub is located on the ground floor of a multi-storey apartment house near the building of the regional administration. There used to be a store there before. The club has two exits: a central one and a side one. People might have suffered from carbon dioxide resulting from fire or a stampede when everyone rushed to the side exit.
Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika will personally oversee the investigation.
President Dmitry Medvedev telephoned Perm Territory Governor Oleg Chirkunov after the accident to monitor the situation personally and make progress reports; Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.