Of the 11 dead victims, only eight had been identified so far, Surabaya Police crimes and detective unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Anom Widodo said Monday.

The police had received reports from 10 families claiming missing relatives.

“According to forensic officers, most of the victims were difficult to identify so DNA tests were necessary [to confirm their identities],” Anom told The Jakarta Post.

The eight dead included 35-year-old Australian Piter Coon Holee and Japanese Yoshifumi Chiba, 35.

The other dead victims were 20-year-old Yetty Stephanie and her unborn child, Ira Meilina Ridwan, Herry Herwida, Hari Purnomosidi and Mas’ud.

Anom said it was likely the death toll from the blaze would increase because witnesses said the nightclub was packed with visitors when the fire started.

Redboxx cafe burst into flames at around 3:30 a.m. as hundreds of people filled the club in the Indonesia’s second-largest city, some of who were there to watch the World Cup soccer match. It took firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control. Police have questioned 19 witnesses, mostly employees and security officers at Pakuwon Trade Center shopping center, where the club was situated.

“We have not named any suspects because our investigation is still in progress,” Anom said, adding that police had examined evidence including the nightclub’s sofa and curtains, which may have fueled the fire.

“We’re still waiting for the results from the forensics lab,” he said.

Surabaya spatial planning division chief Dwija Wardana said Redboxx management had violated its 2009 building permit.

“We will revoke Redboxx’s permit for having changed its land use, for setting up a kitchen inside the mall or shopping center, as well as for not providing emergency stairs,” he said.

Surabaya Consumer Foundation chairman Paidi Prawirarejo said the victims of the fire could file a lawsuit against the building’s owner for its failure to provide fire extinguishers and other safety measures in the building.

“[Surabaya] administration should also learn from this case since [poor safety] can also be found in many other buildings that are not equipped with fire-fighting facilities,” Paidi said.

Separately, Anom said police were also still investigating another fire at the Sinar Bintoro supermarket, the oldest supermarket in the city, built in 1949, which took place a day after the Redboxx’s blaze.

No fatalities or injuries were reported, but six patients at an adjacent hospital had to be evacuated.

Anom said police would request that state oil and gas company Pertamina become an expert witness in the supermarket fire, allegedly triggered by a 50-kg gas canister explosion.

Surabaya prosecutor Syahroli said Fritz Erawan Tjandra, the owner of PT Sinar Fontana Raya, which manages the supermarket, had been detained on Sunday. He was arrested in relation to a different case, linked to the embezzlement of Rp 39 million.

“After being on the run for two years, he is now being detained in Madaeng Sidoarjo penitentiary,” Syahroli said.

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