Out of control pyrotechnics, poorly marked exits and an over-capacity crowd made for a horrific deathtrap that killed at least 231 people and injured hundreds more. Most of the deaths were owing to smoke inhalation, but many people were killed in the panicked rush for the exits as well, and a few people were trapped in the bathrooms after mistaking them for the exits. The 1,000-capacity club had about double that amount of people inside at 2:30 a.m., when the fire broke out. Several security guards barred people from exiting at first, thinking they were trying to flee without paying their tabs. It all looked, said lawmaker Valderci Oliveira, “like a war zone” …
