Six people were killed in a fire that tore through a packed nightclub in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad overnight, and the owner and two others were arrested, police said today.
Police said faulty wiring was the likely cause of the fire, which appeared to have started in the stage area of
the Contrast nightclub during a live performance shortly after 2 am (0530 hrs IST).
The victims, who were in their 20s, most likely choked to death after locking themselves in the toilets of the
club to escape the blaze, said Predrag Maric, head of the Interior Ministry’s emergencies department.
Some 300-350 people are believed to have been in the club at the time. Authorities said the club had only
recently carried out a fire drill and was regularly checked for compliance to safety regulations.
Police said they had questioned 50 people and detained three – the 68-year-old owner of the club and two people
renting the premises – on suspicion of criminal endangerment.
In 2008, eight people died in a fire in the Lounge cafe in Novi Sad and three died in a fire at the city’s Putnik
hotel the previous year.
This is a great tragedy,’ city mayor Igor Pavlicic told reporters. ‘The wounds of past tragedies in Novi Sad
have yet to heal, and now we have another.’
——————-REUTERS