At least 232 people died early Sunday in a fire at a night club in southern Brazil, according to the fire department, amid fears the death toll could climb higher. Rescue teams had completed the effort to recover bodies from there in the town of Santa Maria. They were still working at the site to establish the cause of the fire. A total of 131 people were injured and admitted to hospital, said Major Cleberson Bastianello, who was leading rescue efforts. Most of those killed died of asphyxiation. Police had earlier put the death toll at 245. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff abruptly cut short her participation in the EU-Latin American summit in Santiago to travel to the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where Santa Maria is located.
