The death toll from a fire caused by an indoor fireworks display in a Russian nightclub has reached 103, the emergencies ministry said.
The blaze broke out in the Lame Horse club in the Urals city of Perm at around 01:00 a.m. local time. Over 130 people are injured.
"One more person died at the regional hospital in Perm, bringing the number of deaths to 103", a ministry official in Perm told RIA Novosti.
Russian Investigation Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin earlier said that the owner and manager of the club, Anatoly Zak and Svetlana Yefremova, have been arrested for breaching fire safety rules, and face jail terms of up to seven years.
Markin said that four other suspects are wanted in the case.
Regional security minister Igor Orlov told Russian media that the club's plastic ceiling caught fire during the indoor fireworks display, held during a celebration of the venue's seventh anniversary.
The venue, which covers an area of 500 square meters, was almost completely destroyed by the blaze.
The club is known to have held several indoor fireworks displays in the past, shown in the image gallery on the Lame Horse website www.clubxl.ru.
The site still displays an advert for last night's party marking "the birthday of our favorite club", saying "guests dressed as new-born babies are admitted free until midnight."
The site offers "a bright lively disco with energy and drive with modern dance music - and at 1:00 at night the show begins." The club, with capacity of 450, says its guests are subject to "face control".
Perm Territory Governor Oleg Chirkunov has announced three days of mourning as of today.
"During the three days of mourning, Russian flags and Perm Territory flags will be flown at half mast. TV and radio stations and cultural establishments are asked to cancel all entertainment events and broadcasts during these days," the governor's press service said.
The health ministry has said that the injured are being flown to Moscow, to be treated in the city's best hospitals.
PERM, December 5 (RIA Novosti)
