Disco fire kills 20 in Mexico City
2000: The survivors of one of Mexico City’s most popular night clubs said they were blocked from leaving the burning building by disco personnel who insisted they pay their bills first. The blaze killed 20, and injured two dozen more. The club was still packed at 5am when the blaze started. Surrounded by smoke, Sara Falcon, one survivor, said she and others were begging to get out, saying: “Please! It’s burning! Open the door!” “Everyone was shouting,” she said. Witnesses said patrons panicked when smoke began filling the disco, and began scrambling to escape out the club’s only exit. The building had no emergency exits, authorities said. The glitzy Lobohombo club was one of the best known nightclubs in North America’s largest city.
Other important events on October 20
1728 - A huge fire destroys most of Copenhagen, Denmark.
1883 - Peru cedes territory to Chile with Peace of Ancor treaty.
1892 - The city of Chicago dedicates the World’s Colombian Exposition.
1945 - Arab League is formed.
1955 - Egypt and Syria sign a mutual defence treaty, pledging to support each other in any conflict against Israel.
1964 - Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, dies at 90 in New York City.
1973 - Sydney Opera House in Australia is opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
1980 - Greece rejoins Nato’s military wing.
1984 - UAE and Denmark sign technical, industrial and economic cooperation agreement.
1986 - Mozambique’s President Samora Machel dies in plane crash in eastern South Africa.
1989 - Hungarian parliament disbands the Communist Party’s armed guard, known as the Worker’s Militia.
1995 - Nato Secretary-General Willy Claes resigns to face corruption charges in his native Belgium.
1999 - Abdur Rahman Wahid wins the first free presidential election in Indonesia.
2004 - Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri resigns and dissolves the cabinet.
2009 - US and India sign defence and civilian nuclear energy pacts.
2010 - The rebuilt Naif Souq is officially opened in Dubai.
2011 - Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s dictator for 42 years, is killed in his hometown of Sirte.
2014 - The UAE Space Agency signs an agreement to build the first Arab Islamic probe to Mars.
