Bosses of south China nightclub receive lengthy prison terms after fire that killed 44

Prison for bosses of China disco after deadly fire

BEIJING — China’s state news agency says two bosses of a nightclub in southern China have been sentenced to 15 1/2 years in prison after a fire killed 44 people.

The 2008 blaze started when a fireworks show ignited the ceiling in the crowded King of Dancers club, causing a stampede. Sixty-four people were injured.

The Xinhua News Agency says a court in the boomtown of Shenzhen handed down the lengthy sentences Wednesday to club chairman Wang Jing and owner Zhang Wei for illegally operating a business and negligence leading to a serious accident. It says the nightclub had no business permit.

Club general manager Lu Jinghuang was ordered jailed for three years. Fourteen other club managers received jail terms ranging up to six years.