Four people died after a Carnival float in the Brazilian port city of Santos caught fire this week during the final day of a weeklong celebration according to Reuters.
The float, according to authorities, caught fire after it struck a power line during the Carnival. At least five others were injured during the fire according to CBS News.
The float belonged to a samba group of Santos Football Club fans called Sangue Jovem, which means Young Blood. The float was designed as a tribute to soccer legend Pele according to the BBC.
Carnival festivities started last Friday and had gone without any issues until early Tuesday morning.
This is the second incident to occur in Brazil in the last month, as a nightclub fire killed approximately 239 people in southern Brazil. Venues are now under intense scrutiny because of what critics consider the tax enforcement of safety and fire codes in Brazil according to Reuters.
Brazil, which is Latin America's biggest country, is currently preparing to welcome hundreds of thousands of people for the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.
"This is a tragedy for our city," said Santos Mayor Barbosa according to Mstarz.com. "We cannot continue the parade in the current mood. This is a moment of extreme sadness."
Barbosa suspended the event with three more schools left to ride in the parade according to the Associated Press. Police officials stated that a group of children were on the same float that caught fire, but quickly got off just before the fire started and were not hurt.
The fire shows that Brazil must improve their fire safety laws and regulations if they're going to host so many people for the World Cup and Olympics.
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