BUENOS AIRES: Six members of an Argentine rock band received jail terms of up to seven years Wednesday in connection with a nightclub fire that killed 194 people.
Argentina's highest court handed down terms of seven years to the leader of the group, Patricio Fontanet, and drummer Eduardo Vazquez over the 2004 inferno.
The other four members of the band, Los Callejeros, received jail terms of five years, said the Judicial Information Center, which answers to the Supreme Court.
The musicians were found guilty of "negligence leading to fire that caused death."
The blaze erupted on December 30, 2004 when a pyrotechnic flare hit the foam ceiling of the Republica Cromanon nightclub, setting it on fire.
More than 1,000 people were injured in one of the deadliest fires ever in Argentina.
Many victims in the club -- which was packed at three times its maximum occupancy -- suffocated from the toxic fumes, unable to escape because the main emergency exit was locked to prevent concert-goers from sneaking in without paying.
The club manager, Omar Chaban, got a jail term in 2009 of 10 years and nine months.
Lawyers for all the defendants vowed to appeal.
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