The trial of four defendants for the crime of homicide in the fire at Boate Kiss in Santa Maria (RS), in January 2013, entered this Saturday (4) the fourth day at the Jury Court of Porto Alegre.
The tragedy, which killed 242 people and left 636 injured, began on the stage, where the band Gurizada Fandangueira was performing, and soon spread, causing a lot of toxic smoke. One of the members fired a pyrotechnic device, hitting part of the building’s roof, which caught fire.
After a stop at the end of the morning, the trial was resumed at around 3 pm to continue the testimony of event producer Alexandre Marques. He was listed as a witness for the defense of one of the club’s partners, Elissandro Spohr, known as Kiko. Alexandre owns a band and had already been invited to perform at the venue on other occasions.
Alexandre’s testimony ended around 3:10 pm and then the survivor of the fire Maike Ariel dos Santos began to be heard. His testimony was requested by the assistant prosecutor.
In addition to Elissandro Callegaro Spohr, the defendants are Mauro Londero Hoffmann, also a former partner; the band’s vocalist, Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos, and music producer Luciano Bonilha Leão.
Tragedy shook the country
The tragedy, which mainly killed young people, marked the city of Santa Maria, known as a university center in Rio Grande do Sul, and shook the entire country, due to the large number of deaths and the strong images.
The club had only one unobstructed exit door. Firefighters and people tried, in every way, to open passages by breaking the walls of the house, but the delay in helping turned out to be tragic for the visitors.
Most ended up dying from inhaling toxic smoke, from the acoustic insulation of the ceiling, formed by a flammable foam, incompatible with modern safety standards, which require the installation of structures made from flame-retardant materials.
Since the fire, the families of the young people who died have formed an association and every year, on January 27th, they remember the tragedy, the biggest in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and one of the biggest in Brazil.
Reference: CNN Brasil
