Death toll of Brazil's club fire rises to 238

RIO DE JANEIRO - The death toll in Brazil's recent nightclub fire rose to 238 on Tuesday after a 20-year-old victim passed away in hospital, local authorities said.

The health secretary of the Rio Grande do Sul state said the youngster, identified as "P.A.," died Tuesday at a hospital in Porto Alegre, the regional capital city.

According to the secretary, 81 injured people were still hospitalized, among whom 23 remained in serious conditions, while 11 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours.

On the night of January 27, a nightclub in Santa Maria named "Kiss" burst into flames during a university party, after the sparks from a flare used by a performing band player ignited soundproofing foam in the ceiling.

The club became a death trap because of the lack of emergency exits and fire extinguishers.

According to local authorities, between 750 and 800 people were in the nightclub during the fire, higher than the safe capacity of 691 people.

So far, the police have arrested two nightclub owners as well as two members of the band.