Brazil: Hundreds die in deadly night-club blaze

(Vatican Radio) Brazilian Authorities are investigating a nightclub fire in the Southern City of Santa Maria. The current death toll is 245 with more than 200 injured, but that's going to rise. James Blears reports on the tragedy.

According to witnesses, the Kiss Club was packed to capacity with more than a thousand people, earlier in the evening, but by 2am local time there were about 500 still there. Local media say witnesses saw a member of a band on stage let off fireworks. The fire caught quickly and thick clouds of smoke rapidly engulfed the premises. Pandemonium ensued, with terrified people trying to escape all at the same time.

Firemen tried to break through a wall to provide another escape route, but it was too late for many who's been asphyxiated by fumes or trampled in a stampede.
Santa Maria, which is in the Southern State of Rio Grande do Sul, is a vibrant university town. Most of this fire's victimes were young with their lives ahead of them.
President Dilma Rouseff, has cut short a Summit trip to Chile and is expected to visit the scene of this appalling unfolding tragedy.

The investigation is focusing on just what started such a deadly fire, safety procedures, with this significantly assessing if there were sufficient and properly indicated emergency exits.

The enormity, the youth of those who died and the sheer scale of it, has stunned emergency crews, who are used to dealing with tragedy, but not like this.

Brazil is in mourning.