Argentine band charged over fire

Members of the band face between two and five years in jail

An Argentine rock band has been charged with manslaughter over a fire at a Buenos Aires night club which killed 193 people in December.

The seven musicians of Callejeros face up to five years in jail if convicted.

A total of 20 people have now been charged and are awaiting trial.

The fire was started by flares launched during their concert. The club's owner, Omar Chaban, has decided to remain in custody for his own safety.

"[The members of the band] feel that the trial is unfair, because they didn't help get the fireworks into the club," a lawyer for the band, Mariano Silvestroni, was reported by daily newspaper El Clarin as saying.

"We are walking the knife-edge, and it is clear that everything is going against us. We feel this is very unfair," the musicians had reportedly said before the judge announced his decision.

Their lawyer argued that it was not the band's responsibility to check the venue's security standards.

"They are being tried on the basis of suspicions, of clues, not of concrete evidence," he told the paper.

Bribes

The fire at the Cromagnon Nightclub was one of the worst disasters in Argentine history.

Two of those charged, Mr Chaban and his right-hand man, Raul Villarreal, might be released on bail over the next few days.

Mr Chaban is charged with manslaughter and bribing police officers, and faces up to 25 years in prison.

Policemen said to have accepted bribes from him as well as five government officials who allowed the club to operate despite falling short of security standards have also been charged.

The club was reportedly packed with people well beyond its capacity, and some emergency exits had allegedly been locked.