The owner of the Brazilian nightclub that caught fire Jan. 29 killing 235 people has tried to kill himself.
Elissandro Spohr attempted suicide at the hospital where he was being treated for smoke inhalation. According to Santa Maria Police Chief Lylian Carus, Spohr removed a hose and tied it to a window while taking a shower. The police discovered the attempt on time.
Questions about the safety of the club have made Sophr the target of intense criticism in Brazil.
Musicians Feel Responsible
Musicians from Gurizada Fandangueira, the band whose pyrotechnics ignited the fire, took responsibility for starting it. One of the band members died in the tragedy.
The band members expressed their sadness and regret on their official Facebook page, writing that prison is not a harsh enough punishment for what they caused.
The band highlighted that it never intended to cause harm to innocent people.
Hundreds of nightclubs declared illegal
In light of this tragedy, officials from different Brazilian cities have investigated many nightclubs and found that most of them have ignored essential security rules.
Many did not have the municipal authorization nor consent from the firefighters to open the clubs. In Rio de Janeiro alone, 49 cultural spaces were closed because they did not have a license.
These developments caught the President of The Rio Art Foundation unaware. He told O Globo that he did,” not [have] any idea about the illegality of these spaces”.
The tragedy in Santa Maria may help prevent future disasters as a result of blatant disregard of security codes.
Video taken from CNN
