Paraguay Fire

One of my constant complaints about media coverage of Latin America is the focus - perceived or actual - on disasters: bus plunges, earthquakes, coups, etc. Some things are just so horrible that you cannot ignore, so I hope that no one regards me as a hypocrite by pointing out this tragedy near Asuncion, Paraguay:

A fire swept through a supermarket packed with shoppers on the Paraguayan capital's outskirts on Sunday and killed at least 215 people, police said.

Hundreds more were injured in an inferno that firefighters said was probably caused by the accidental explosion of gas canisters near the food court of the huge Ycua Bolanos supermarket. Flames then engulfed an underground parking lot.

This is heartbreaking:

Some of the burned bodies were found inside the supermarket hugging each other, including a woman with a small child in her arms, a firefighter told local radio.

[...]

The disaster appeared to have stretched the emergency services of one of South America's poorest nations.

Local television showed firefighters trying to plug holes in leaking water hoses with the soles of their boots. Local media called on citizens to donate basic supplies, like gloves, to hospitals.

The report also says that Argentina is sending aid. If anyone has any recommendations or ideeas on how to get help there, please put it in the comments.

Comments

[michael corlett]

It gets worse. The doors were chained shut to prevent theft.

From The New York Times :
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/02/international/americas/02para.html

ÃO PAULO, Brazil, Aug. 1 - At least 283 people were killed and about 53 more were injured Sunday on the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay, when a fire swept through a crowded supermarket that kept its doors locked as an antitheft measure, local authorities said.
. . . Hundreds of customers and employees scrambled to flee the building but were trapped inside because the doors had been locked, the police said.

"We're still investigating, but it seems that the owner had chained the doors shut so that people wouldn't leave without paying or steal merchandise," Sebastián Talavera, a spokesman for the Paraguayan National Police, said by telephone from Asunción, the capital. "That would explain why the number of victims is so high."

[monica]

i used to live in Paraguay and have many friends and relatives that i am unable to contact. How can i get info on the victims??

[Brianna]

Hey- I was in Paraguay when the fire happened, although I was nowhere near where the fire happened. I was wondering if you knew of this song that is about the fire- it's a rap and they are basically saying thankyou to all of the firefighters and volunteers for helping, and it's a song that is very dear to me, towards the end they say "dios, gracias para abran tus puertas", which, if you understand the situation of the locked doors, is a very heartbreaking line. However i can't seem to find my copy and I was wondering if you knew of the artist and title of it, since it was a burned copy that i bought from a street vender.