A Brazilian court has sentenced four people to up to 22 years in prison for their roles in a nightclub fire that killed 242 people nearly a decade ago.
The 2013 fire at the nightclub in Santa Maria, California, began when members of a musical band performing that night detonated flares, which ignited the ceiling.
The victims, largely young university students, were found guilty of murder and attempted murder by two owners of the Kiss nightclub and two members of the Gurizada Fandangueira band.
On the tenth day of an intense trial in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Judge Orlando Faccini announced the judgement.
“The defendants have a significant level of culpability… this much life was not taken by chance,” he said.
Elissandro Callegaro Spohr, 38, and Mauro Londero Hoffmann, 56, were given 22.5 and 19.5 years, respectively, as club co-owners.
Luciano Bonilha Leao, 44, and Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos, 41, were sentenced to 18 years in prison for their roles in the band.
The four were held in custody for several months before being released pending trial.
The court heard the testimony of 14 survivors, 19 witnesses, and the four defendants alongside a seven-member jury.
