Reports: Russian nightclub death toll reaches 131; many others still in critical condition

Reports: Russian nightclub fire toll rises to 131

MOSCOW — Russian news agencies are reporting the death toll from last weekend’s nightclub fire has risen to 131.

RIA Novosti and Interfax are quoting officials in the Perm region as saying three people died overnight. Three others died during the day Wednesday.

The blaze at the Ural Mountain city’s Lame Horse nightclub broke out early Saturday when an indoor fireworks display ignited the plastic-and-wooden ceiling. The flames spread while hundreds of customers tried to flee through a single exit.

Many of the more than 100 people hospitalized are in critical condition.

Four people have been jailed pending the investigation into negligence, and several regional fire safety officials have been fired.