Thousands remember Dutch fire victims


Flags fly at half mast as Volendam remembers the 10 fire victims

VOLENDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) -- Thousands of people have marched silently through the streets of Volendam to commemorate those who died in the Dutch cafe fire on New Year's Day.

Prime Minister Wim Kok and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander joined 15,000 other mourners for the Friday evening procession led by 200 children carrying lanterns.

Ten young people died in the blaze at the harbour side Het Hemeltje cafe which had allegedly been warned months earlier of potentially "life-threatening" safety violations.

Church bells tolled throughout the procession and flags were lowered to half-mast. A memorial service was planned to take place later in the evening in the local soccer stadium.

The fire broke out as hundreds of teenagers celebrated the New Year. Mass panic followed after the party goers discovered that all but one of the emergency exits had been blocked preventing their escape.

More than 180 people were injured -- 118 remain in hospital, 49 of them in intensive care.

The public prosecutor's office has said it plans a criminal investigation focusing on the cafe owner and his daughter.

The fire was triggered when party-goers lit sparklers, igniting ceiling decorations that had not been sprayed to make them flame-resistant.