Fire victims all aged between 14 and 17

The bodies of the 10 victims of a fire that ravaged accommodation for youth players at Rio club Flamengo have been identified, Brazilian media reported on Saturday, saying all were between 14 and 17.

The fire struck early on Friday. Initially the authorities thought the victims included members of staff, but on Saturday several Brazilian newspapers ran photos of the dead youngsters, smiling, proudly sporting the club’s jersey or holding trophies.

Three young players were also hurt during the fire, including one with burns on more than 30% of his body.

Preliminary investigations, reported by local media, suggest the fire could have been caused by a short circuit in the air conditioning in the prefabricated building housing the players.

The fire brigade said that the training centre “was in the process of being brought into line with [fire] regulations” and that it did not yet have their certificate of approval. –