Soccer-Two players in hospital after fire strikes another Brazilian club

A fire broke out at the training centre used by Rio de Janeiro football club Bangu on Monday, sending at least two players to hospital with smoke inhalation but causing no serious injuries. The accident happened three days after 10 Flamengo youth players died and three others were injured when their lodgings caught fire.

Bangu, one of the oldest and most traditional clubs in Rio, were training at a military athletics centre when the blaze started after lunch. The fire was quickly brought under control but two players were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, the military said in a statement.

Bangu could not be reached for comment about the blaze, which TV Globo said may have started in an air conditioning unit. Friday's fatal fire at the Ninho do Urubu also started when an air conditioning unit caught fire.

Flamengo did not have permits to build the temporary lodgings in the training centre that caught fire, although the club denied there was any relation between their ignoring the warnings issued by the city government and the fire itself. Another five of the dead teenagers were buried on Monday in towns and cities across Brazil.

The boys, all aged between 14 and 16, were at Flamengo training with the youth team and hoping to make it to the professional ranks. One of the three boys injured in the fire was released from hospital on Monday but two others are still under observation, one of them in serious but stable condition. (Reporting by Andrew Downie, editing by Nick Mulvenney)