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76 killed, 60 injured in Russian blast: report
(Xinhua) -- Around 76 people were reported to have been killed and 60 others hospitalized in a nightclub blast that hit Russia's Urals city of Perm late on Friday, local news agencies reported.

A firecracker was presumably ignited without permission and caused an explosion at 23:15 Moscow time (2015 GMT) at the club, where a banquet with 200 people was in progress.

The explosion had been followed by a fire. The blaze has already been brought under control, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a source from Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry.

An investigation was underway.
Deaths reported up to 101, the place was a firetrap with plastic ceiling tiles... and had been reported repeatedly for safety violations, according to NPR this morning. No link, I'm going by Mr. Wife's report of what he heard on the radio.
-- tw at 11:32 Eastern Time

Posted by: Fred 2009-12-05
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=284918