Death toll rises to 464, 3 arrested

The death toll from a supermarket blaze in Paraguay jumped to 464 on Tuesday and officials said a guard received orders by radio during the ...

The death toll from a supermarket blaze in Paraguay jumped to 464 on Tuesday and officials said a guard received orders by radio during the fire to lock the exit doors, apparently to stop people leaving without paying.

Santiago Velazco, a spokesman for the Paraguayan National Police, said Juan Pio Paiva, the store owner, his son Daniel, and a store manager were in police custody. A judge grilled Paivo, his son and four guards on whether the doors were locked after the fire broke out to stop people leaving without paying. He was due to decide later on Tuesday whether to bring murder charges. Many survivors said the doors were locked. State prosecutor Edgar Sanchez said one guard had said he received orders to close the doors, but did not know who had given them. ‘‘The guard … said that he received the order by radio to close the doors and this he did,’’ Sanchez said.

Meanwhile, relatives of the dead hunted for the bodies of their loved ones. ‘‘For the last three days I have been searching for my mother among the bodies,’’ said 29-year-old Carlos Montiel. ‘‘We saw corpses stuck to each other. They made us enter a refrigerated lorry where the bodies were kept. It’s killing me to be able to find my mum.’’

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With emergency services and medical supplies stretched past capacity, Paraguayan officials sought additional ambulances from nearby cities and neighbouring Argentina, which also donated medicines and bandages. Brazil sent an air force plane with respirators and medical equipment to its South American neighbour.

The two countries, which share a border with Paraguay, offered to treat burn victims in their hospitals. President Nicanor Duarte Frutos called for a swift investigation into the fire and pledged to punish whoever was found responsible.

The government declared Monday a national day of mourning, suspending all official activities and shutting down schools.

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