The death toll in last week's deadly blaze at a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm has risen to 145 as another young girl died in a hospital, health and emergencies authorities said Saturday.
"A total of 85 people affected by the Perm fire are in inpatient health care institutions. One hundred and forty-five people have died," a Health Ministry spokesman said. The Perm city administration has confirmed the death count.
The fire broke out in the Lame Horse club in the west Urals city of Perm early on December 5 after an indoor fireworks display went wrong. The death toll from the tragedy has risen steadily throughout the week. Doctors say club visitors suffered extensive burns and severe respiratory injuries resulting in complicated forms of pneumonia.
The Perm Territory's prosecutor's office said in a statement that an investigation has revealed "violations of technical and registration procedures committed by staff" at the state inventory service Rostekhinventarizatsiya in approving documents for the venue.
The statement said the inventory service issued a "technical passport" for the Lame Horse venue in August this year, without having conducted a check, meaning that the papers were "forged" by staff.
The document reportedly contains numerous errors, understating the floorspace, and failing to mention an illegal extension to the building, as well as the fact that the windows had been bricked up.
Prosecutors have submitted the investigation results to the regional police department to decide whether to hold accountable officials from Rostekhinventarizatsiya as well as from state property management agency Rosimushchestvo.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered an additional 432 million rubles (about $15 million) to be allocated from the national reserve fund to pay for medical assistance to the victims.
The general health insurance policy held by the overwhelming majority of Russians does not cover the sophisticated and expensive burn treatment procedures the fire victims need.
The art director along with two other Lame Horse managers and the head of a fireworks supplier are under investigation over the accident.
Negligence charges were brought on Friday against two more senior emergencies and fire safety officials in Perm, who were fired along with a host of other officials earlier this week. They face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
The government of the Perm Territory resigned on Wednesday over the tragedy.
Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a newspaper interview that inspectors had for years turned a blind eye to breaches of fire safety in the nightclub. He said the probe had revealed numerous breaches in the club, including those committed during reconstruction several years ago.
Following a 2001 reorganization, the Russian State Fire Service was transferred from the Interior Ministry's jurisdiction and placed under the control of the Emergency Situations Ministry Shoigu heads.
President Dmitry Medvedev demanded on Tuesday punishment for those to blame for the tragedy. He called "the hosts of the show" in the club "irresponsible scoundrels," but also highlighted the local authorities' role.
MOSCOW/PERM, December 12 (RIA Novosti)
