Nightclub Fire

At the end of January, a nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil was set off, killing 235 people, according to USA Today. The police force in this city arrested three people that were allegedly responsible for the inferno and are currently looking for a fourth person connected to the crime.

Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior explained that the arrests made were purely due to the overall investigation and have a limit of five days. The allegations at large are due to a pyrotechnics show that ignited the fire and led to one band member’s death. Two band members and a co-owner of the club were arrested.

The people at the nightclub attempted to flee but some were held up at the door by security guards who were making sure that bar tabs were paid. This further delayed escape and caused more than two hundred deaths.

“It was terrible inside – it was like one of those films of the Holocaust, bodies piled atop one another,” police inspector Sandro Meinerz told the source. “We had to use trucks to remove them. It took about six hours to take the bodies away.”

This disaster may have brought grief to families, but government officials are taking attempts to prevent such scenarios from happening in the future. The Rio Times reported that an investigation is taking place dealing with whether appropriate fire prevention regulations including health and safety laws are adequate and whether local authorities are following these laws in Brazil. Marco Maia, President of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, said that he will be reviewing safety regulations for nightclubs and may develop new federal legislation if necessary.

U.S.-based businesses attempting to trade overseas and develop transactions with Brazilian companies will need to comply with any new legislation, especially those centered around health and safety. By working with a Brazilian lawyer, such organizations will be supported effectively in order to grow their business.