Argentine club owner charged in fatal fire
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-01 12:11

The owner of a Buenos Aires nightclub where a fire killed 192 people was indicted Monday on involuntary manslaughter charges in the country's worst fire disaster in decades.

The indictment of Omar Chaban in the Dec. 30 fire came as authorities investigated reports that emergency exits were locked during the rock concert to prevent people from entering without paying.

Buenos Aires City Mayor Anibal Ibarra faces a public questioning in the city's legislature about his role and responsibility in the rock club blaze that killed 191 people and injured almost 700, January 28, 2005. The tragic fire on December 30, 2004, was the worst non-natural disaster in Argentina's history. [Reuters]

Chaban, who has been in police custody since the fire, could face a prison sentence of eight to 25 years if convicted of the charges against him. The judge who filed charges against Chaban also ordered a $19 million lien on his assets on Monday.

Authorities are also investigating whether someone in the crowd set off a flare that ignited lining on the club's ceiling, unleashing dense smoke that killed many of the victims.

Reeling from thick smoke, panicked crowds surged toward the doors, trampling each other in desperate efforts to flee.

Although the club had a reported capacity of 1,500, authorities said they were looking into accounts that 4,000 people were in the club at the time of the fire.

City legislators are investigating accusations of lax public safety inspections at nightclubs.

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