ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) -- Authorities confirmed Friday that 399 people perished in last weekend's supermarket fire. But the toll in Paraguay's worst tragedy in decades could still go much higher as 144 people remain missing.
Earlier, the death toll had been put at 426, but Attorney General Oscar Latorre said 27 names had been stricken from the list of victims after reports filed by hospitals, morgues and rescuers were found to contain duplications and other errors.
Speaking with reporters, LaTorre said 52 of the 399 confirmed victims haven't yet been identified. Some 144 people have been reported as missing by their families.
Also Friday, a doctor who lost a 19-year-old son to the blaze announced the creation of a support group for the victims. The group's first step was to ask local television stations to cease broadcasting graphic footage from Sunday's blaze at the Ycua Bolanos, a sprawling three-story supermarket.
The fast-spreading fire caused the floors to collapse and burned some bodies beyond recognition.
Authorities have charged a co-owner of the supermarket and four others with manslaughter after a security guard said he was ordered to lock doors to prevent people from stealing after the fire broke.
On Friday, forensic experts were still studying the site trying to determine the cause of the blaze, which some officials speculated had been started by an exploding gas canister in the store's food court.
Meanwhile, four other supermarkets in the Ycua Bolanos chain remained shuttered, sparking a protest by some 800 workers who insisted the stores should resume operations.
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