The death toll in the December 5 deadly blaze at a nightclub in the Urals city of Perm has risen to 153, the regional emergencies service said in a statement on Friday.

A 30-year-old woman died in a hospital in St. Petersburg on Thursday afternoon, the statement says.

According to the ministry, 62 people remain in hospitals, including two in Perm, 11 in St. Petersburg, 47 in Moscow and two in Chelyabinsk. Doctors say victims suffered extensive burns and severe respiratory injuries.

The fire began in the Lame Horse night club after an indoor firework display went wrong, causing the wicker-decorated ceiling to catch alight. The death toll from the tragedy has risen steadily throughout the recent weeks.

The Perm fire was the deadliest Russia has seen in half a century. In 1961, a total of 110 people, including 106 children, died in a fire that broke out in a wooden school in Chuvashia.

Russia has an appalling fire-safety record. According to the country's emergency services, 15,165 people died in fires across the country in 2008, including 584 children. In the United States, with more than twice the population, the figure is around 3,400 deaths a year.

PERM, January 1 (RIA Novosti)