万花筒 2009-12-07&12-08 俄罗斯夜总会爆炸（在线收听）

It started as a celebration. Over 200 people were inside the club. At 11:15 pm, the blast ripped through it. Many have no chance to escape. Eyewitnesses say wicker wall coverings caught fire when the fireworks were set off inside the building. Emergency services rushed to help scores of injured, most were young people caught up in a crush at the exit, as smoke spread and panic set in. Anxious relatives gathered to try to find missing loved ones. The list is long.

“We can’t understand anything, we don’t know anything, around 50 of our friends were there.”

Russia has been on the edge since the train bombing a week ago, which left 26 people dead. But officials say there is no evidence of terrorist involvement in last night's explosion.

“According to preliminary information from the Federal Security Service bomb disposal experts, there was no explosion. Again, the preliminary cause is a fire. There were flood lights inside, the stage where the artists performed was equipped with an additional ceiling, made of burning material”

Authorities say they’ll launch a full investigation into whether the club breached fire safety regulations.

Amanda Walker, Sky News, Moscow.