Nightclub fire death toll reaches 150

PERM, Russia, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The death toll from a fire at a nightclub in Perm, Russia, has reached 150 with the death of a female victim Saturday, authorities said.

ITAR-Tass reported a 28-year-old woman died in Moscow Saturday of injuries she suffered during the Dec. 5 fire at the Lame Horse nightclub.

Perm Regional Security Minister Igor Orlov said the deadly fire was the result of fireworks being used inside the club in honor of its anniversary.

"The stage with a suspended plastic ceiling caught fire. Banks of lights were installed on the stage and firecrackers were launched. One of them hit the suspended ceiling, setting everything on fire right away. A stampede and panic began," Orlov said.

An estimated 79 people are still hospitalized with injuries from the fire and more than 20 of those individuals are said to be in critical condition.

Officials with the Federal Security Service and the Investigation Committee under the Prosecutor General's Office deny the incident was the work of terrorists, ITAR-Tass reported.