BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Argentine authorities arrested one of the owners of the Buenos Aires nightclub where 175 mostly teenage people died in a fire, CTV News reported Saturday.
Omar Chaban was arrested Friday and faces charges that could get him up to 20 years in prison, local police said.
Judge Maria Crotto indicted Chaban on a charge of "intentional arson leading to death" in the inferno that engulfed his Republica de Cromagnon nightspot, killing at least 175 and leaving 619 others injured.
Investigators said three youths launched flares to celebrate the start of a rock concert in the club, igniting a fire that panicked the 4,000 revelers, many of whom were trampled to death or asphyxiated as they tried to flee.
The facility has a 1,500-person capacity.
The Argentine government Friday declared three days of mourning from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 and ordered nightclubs in the capital closed on New Year's Eve.
