Niterói circus fire
The Niterói circus fire occurred on December 15, 1961 in the city of Niterói in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro . Up to 500 people died and another 800 were injured, some seriously. A large proportion of the victims were children.
Course of events
During a sold out performance at the Gran Circus Norte-Americanowith around 3000 spectators a fire was noticed by trapeze artists during their performance. In less than 5 minutes, the fire spread over a large area of the circus tent. According to the Indian manufacturer, the tent was made of nylon and was advertised by the circus as a modern innovation. The tension ropes were destroyed by the fire and the remains of the burning tent fell on the fleeing spectators. Many spectators had not been able to get to safety in time because of the rapid spread of the fire. In total there were about 3000 spectators, 80 circus workers and 120 animals in the tent, whereby the panicked animals and the children instinctively fleeing into the arena also contributed to the chaotic situation.
Cause of fire
An investigation revealed arson as the cause of the fire. A day laborer who had been fired from pitching a tent two days earlier was found guilty in a trial along with two alleged helpers. However, this official version is questioned. A technical defect is also suspected.
Number of victims
Up to 500 people died. The exact number of victims is not known. There are 300 graves at the local Marui cemetery that can be directly attributed to the circus fire. It is not known how many people later died as a result of the fire.
Internet
Kunath, Wolfgang (January 10, 2012): Circus disaster. The brand. Frankfurter Rundschau , archived in the web archive ( page 1 , page 2 , page 3 not archived )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Silke Flemmer et al .: Fire catastrophes - the most devastating fires of the 20th century. tosa-Verlag, 1999, ISBN 3-85001-952-7 , pages 90-91.
- ↑ a b Frankfurter Rundschau
Coordinates: 22 ° 53 ′ 21.8 ″ S , 43 ° 7 ′ 41.8 ″ W.