Argentina begins burying club fire victims

New Years' celebrations were muted on Saturday as the government began handing over bodies to families with the order that they be buried, not cremated, due to the criminal investigation into one of Argentina's worst disasters.

The blaze during a concert on Thursday night started when concert-goers launched a flare that ignited foam on the ceiling. The fire sent some 4,000 mostly teen-age fans scrambling for the exits amid falling debris and thick smoke. Four of the six doors were locked, officials said.

The city's medical emergency service raised the death toll by three to 177 at nightfall on Saturday and said 726 people had been treated in hospitals, mostly for smoke inhalation.

Forty-five people were still in intensive care in public hospitals.