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At least 256 people have died in a fire at a shopping centre in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion
by Open-Publishing - Monday 2 August 2004Many dead in Paraguay shop fire
At least 256 people have died in a fire at a shopping centre in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, officials say.
Hundreds more are injured and the death toll is set to rise as firefighters bring charred bodies out of the debris.
The blaze started at midday on Sunday when the Ycua Bolanos centre was packed with weekend shoppers.
It is thought the fire was caused by a gas explosion. The disaster has overwhelmed the emergency services of one of South America’s poorest nations.
Police were forced to take the injured to hospital in trucks because of a lack of ambulances.
Local television showed firefighters trying to plug holes in their water hoses, Reuters news agency reported, and there have been appeals for people to donate basic supplies to hospitals.
Neighbouring Argentina has sent medical teams and emergency workers to assist.
’Doors locked’
Officials said as many as 600 people could have been inside the shopping centre on the outskirts of the capital.
As the centre filled with smoke and flames, the basement gave way. Other floors are also thought to have collapsed, correspondents say.
Officials said about 300 people had been injured.
Unconfirmed reports say people had to escape through the windows because the doors within the centre had been deliberately closed to prevent people leaving without paying.
The owner of the shopping centre is being questioned by the state prosecutor’s office, which launched an investigation.
’Explosion’
The cause is not yet known but witnesses speak of hearing an explosion shortly before seeing flames.
Firefighters say gas canisters in a kitchen may have caused the blaze.
"There were sparks as if fireworks were going off. The store quickly caught fire and filled with smoke, triggering total confusion," Francisco Barrios, who survived the fire, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
"I lost my wife and kids as I rushed to get out. Now I’m desperately trying to find them," Mr Barrios said.
President Nicanor Duarte, who rushed to the scene of the disaster, said: "This is a moment of great anguish."
Public Health Minister Julio Cesar Velazquez told reporters he had never seen "a disaster like this".