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A survivor of the explosion that occurred in a club in Bucharest is led away from the blast scene wrapped in a thermal blanket. Photo: AP
An explosion and ensuing flames on a stage at a Bucharest nightclub has left 27 people dead and 180 injured, in one of the Romanian capital’s worst tragedies in decades.
Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea said the explosion occurred on Friday night at Colectiv club in downtown Bucharest, a city of 3 million people.
Witnesses told Antena 3 TV that there were between 300 to 400 people at the club when the metal band Goodbye to Gravity was performing and a “pyrotechnical show” went awry. The station reported that people panicked and rushed for the exit.
Digi 24 television station cited witnesses who said the explosion came after a spark on stage ignited some polystyrene decor.
Victor Ionescu, who was at the club with his girlfriend, told Antena 3 TV there were huge flames after the explosion.
Emergency services to rescue a partygoer after the fire in a nightclub in Bucharest, Romania. Photo: AP
“People were fainting, they were fainting from the smoke. It was total chaos, people were trampling on each other,” he said. “It was a tragedy that could have been avoided if there had been more organisation from the emergency services.”
A young man filmed by Antena 3 said that flames engulfed clubgoers, burning their skin and hair.
Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat said the situation was “slowly stabilising”.
“We have many people with burns, intoxicated with smoke and people trampled,” he said, adding many victims had no identification documents.
Arafat said the victims were admitted to 10 hospitals in Bucharest.
“I saw fire all over the place,” a woman at the club told private Romania TV. “I saw people changing their mood from happiness to deep panic.”
Forensic workers collect items outside the site of an explosion that occurred in a club in Bucharest. Photo: AP
TV footage showed police officers and paramedics trying to resuscitate young people lying on the pavement while sirens wailed with more ambulances deployed to the scene.
“There was a stampede of people running out of the (Colectiv) club,” a man who escaped without shoes said.
Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea, who said a “code red” emergency procedure was enforced, said an investigation into the causes of the incident was already under way, and the health minister launched a public appeal for blood donations.
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said: “I want to assure you of all support from rescuing forces and ask you to trust they put all efforts to limit the impact of this catastrophe.”
An emergency meeting of cabinet ministers was set for early on Saturday to assess the incident.
According to the Bucharest-based metal band’s Facebook page, lead singer Andrei Gault was the 2008 winner of Megastar, a Romanian show similar to American Idol. The band has five members and has released two albums since it formed in 2011.
The ministry says there were 60 ambulances and fire engines sent to the scene and a mobile hospital had been set up outside.
Re: Nightclub blaze after fireworks explosion kills 27, injures 180 in Romanian capit
Thousands march as Romania disco fire toll rises to 30
AFP
November 2, 2015, 4:27 am
Bucharest (AFP) - Thousands of people marched in central Bucharest on Sunday to honour the victims of a weekend disco fire as the death toll from the tragedy climbed to 30.
Police said some 10,000 people marched from the city's emblematic University Square to the scene of the blaze, where many were already gathered before a sea of flowers and candles set out by mourners.
Authorities said three more badly burned victims succumbed to their injuries on Sunday, bringing the death toll from the late Friday blaze to 30, adding that the toll could still rise "significantly".
"I came to pay homage to those who died and to show my support for those who are fighting for their lives," one marcher in his early 30s, Gabriel Mistodie, told AFP.
"It was a tragedy caused in a way by corruption, indifference and incompetence... and a sign that things should change in Romanian society."
Another marcher, who gave her name only as Oana, said they should have demonstrated "before, to say we would no longer go into such places because we aren't safe there."
Romanian media on Sunday slammed as "irresponsible" both authorities and the owners of the Colectivu nightclub where the fire and subsequent stampede killed 27 on the spot and left nearly 200 injured.
Some 140 were still in hospital on Sunday, with 35 in critical condition, according to state secretary for health Raed Arafat.
Investigators say 29 of the injured have yet to be identified.
President Klaus Iohannis had on Saturday pointed to safety failings at the nightclub, a former shoe factory.
"It is unimaginable that there could have been so many people in such a (small) space and that the tragedy happened so quickly because simple rules were ignored," he said after visiting the scene. "We already have indications that the legal regulations had not been respected."
The Evenimentul Zilei newspaper, under the headline "Coincidence, a curse or criminal negligence?", alleged that two other nightclubs belonging to one of the owners of the Colectivu club have also been destroyed by fire in recent years.
An editorial in the daily Gandul accused authorities of failing to impose stricter safety regulations in bars and discos after similar deadly accidents.
It blamed the disaster on "irresponsibility" and "unscrupulousness".
The interior ministry said between 300 and 500 mostly young people had been in the disco.
Witnesses said fireworks unleashed a blaze that was followed by a stampede as terrified clubbers scrambled to get out through only one exit and that there was no emergency exit.
- Flammable soundproofing -
A representative of the private company that carried out renovations in the industrial building told the DigiTV channel that the club's owners had sought to skimp on security measures to save money, and failed to consult the fire service.
He said poor-quality flammable material was used for soundproofing, which caused the blaze to spread rapidly.
The disco also did not have the required authorisation to hold concerts or to stage pyrotechnic displays, Arafat said.
Investigators spent about 10 hours at the scene on Saturday to gather clues.
"We have collected samples of fabric, soundproofing material and other elements, that we must now analyse," said the head of the team of experts, George Gaman.
"We have identified those among the injured in hospital whose condition allows them to tell us what happened," the prosecutor's office said.
According to several witnesses, most of the victims were overcome by thick smoke before being trapped by the flames.
"To get out I had to dig through the bodies of those who were lying, unconscious, in front of the only exit," one of the survivors, a young man who did not give his name, told Romanian television.
The tragedy inspired gestures of solidarity across the country.
In Bucharest and in several large cities, hundreds of people queued up at transfusion centres to give blood for the injured.
Several musicians and groups also announced that all receipts from their concerts would go to help the victims and their families.
Re: Nightclub blaze after fireworks explosion kills 27, injures 180 in Romanian capit
Romania disco bosses probed for suspected manslaughter over blaze: officials
AFP
November 3, 2015, 4:52 am
Bucharest (AFP) - Three bosses of a nightclub in central Bucharest where a weekend blaze left 30 people dead and nearly 200 injured are under investigation on suspicion of manslaughter, officials said Monday.
The three men have been called in to be "heard as manslaughter suspects" following the disco fire late Friday, the public prosecutor's office said.
Witnesses said fireworks unleashed a blaze at the Colectiv nightclub in a former shoe factory which was followed by a stampede as terrified clubbers scrambled to get out.
Authorities said three more badly burned victims succumbed to their injuries Sunday, bringing the death toll to 30. Twenty-seven were killed on the spot and nearly 200 people were injured.
Romanian media and witnesses have questioned safety regulations at the club. Witnesses spoke of the absence of an emergency exit.
The disco did not have the required authorisation to hold concerts or to stage pyrotechnic displays, the secretary of state at the interior ministry, Raed Arafat, has said.
Prosecutors must now look into who should have ensured such authorisation was granted.
Re: Nightclub blaze after fireworks explosion kills 27, injures 180 in Romanian capit
Death toll from Romania nightclub fire rises to 41
AFP
November 8, 2015, 8:10 am
Bucharest (AFP) - The death toll from a horrific nightclub fire in Bucharest that brought down the Romanian government has risen to 41, officials said Saturday.
Nine more people have died of their injuries this week after the October 30 tragedy at the capital's Colectiv club, when fireworks let off during a rock band's performance triggered a blaze and a stampede as panicked revellers tried to get out.
The fire sparked mass anti-government protests, with many viewing compromised safety standards at the club as emblematic of Romania's wider problem with rampant corruption.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who had been under pressure for weeks as he goes on trial on corruption charges, quit on Wednesday, saying it was right for top officials to take responsibility for the tragedy.
Seven of those who died this week, all badly burned and suffering from respiratory problems, succumbed to their injuries in hospitals in Bucharest, medical and government sources said.
The two others -- one Romanian and one Italian national -- passed away in the Netherlands, where they had been transported on Friday for treatment, interim prime minister Sorin Campeanu told a press conference.
Six more blaze victims are still being treated in Dutch burn units, and are said to be in a serious condition.
Overall around a hundred people, most of them young, remain hospitalised -- dozens of them in critical condition, according to the Romanian government.
Initial investigations suggest numerous breaches of the safety rules at the club, including a lack of emergency exits and the fact that flammable materials were used for sound insulation.
The club's three bosses, detained since Tuesday on manslaughter charges, did not have the authorisation to host concerts, let alone pyrotechnic shows.
Ponta's resignation has not stemmed the huge protests by Romanians demanding a "profound change" in the way the country is governed.
On Saturday, some 3,000 people again demonstrated in Bucharest, while hundreds more protested in the cities of Cluj and Sibiu in the north, and Timisoara in the west.
"Romania, wake up!" chanted protesters gathered at Bucharest's University Square, the epicentre of the 1989 revolt that toppled the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Some 15,000 had spilled into the streets of the capital on Friday.
Re: Nightclub blaze after fireworks explosion kills 27, injures 180 in Romanian capit
Death toll from Romania nightclub fire rises to 45
AFP
November 9, 2015, 5:28 am
Bucharest (AFP) - Four more people died Sunday from injuries suffered in a horrific October 30 nightclub fire in Bucharest that brought down Romania's government, bringing the death toll to 45, hospital officials said.
Among the latest victims was the drummer of a local hard rock group, on stage when the fire broke out, who was being flown to a Swiss hospital for treatment.
The plane carrying the musician turned back when he took a turn for the worst shortly after take-off. The group's two guitarists died the day after the blaze while two others are still seriously hurt in hospital.
Three other people -- two young Romanians and a Turkish tourist -- died earlier Sunday.
"The next seven days will be the most difficult with regards to treating the wounded," Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu said Saturday. "We welcome any help, any medical teams coming from abroad."
Romanian media criticised the authorities for failing to transfer some of the wounded to hospitals abroad in time.
"Why has Romania not asked for international help before?" Gandul daily wrote, adding that the country's hospitals were struggling to treat more than 140 people wounded in the tragedy at the Colectiv nightclub.
Eighteen people were transferred abroad on Saturday -- eight to Belgium, eight to the Netherlands and two to Austria. Two more will be flown to Britain and Hungary on Sunday, the defence ministry said.
Doctors say some 100 wounded remain hospitalised, among them 44 in critical condition.
The fire broke out when fireworks let off during a rock band's performance triggered a blaze and a stampede as panicked revellers tried to flee.
The tragedy sparked mass anti-government protests, with many viewing compromised safety standards at the club as emblematic of Romania's wider problem with rampant corruption.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who had been under pressure for weeks as he goes on trial on corruption charges, quit on Wednesday, saying it was right for top officials to take responsibility for the tragedy.
Initial investigations suggest numerous breaches of the safety rules at the club, including a lack of emergency exits and the fact that flammable materials were used for sound insulation.
The club's three bosses, detained since Tuesday on manslaughter charges, did not have the authorisation to host concerts, let alone pyrotechnic shows.
Ponta's resignation has not stemmed the huge protests by Romanians demanding a "profound change" in the way the country is governed.
Re: Nightclub blaze after fireworks explosion kills 27, injures 180 in Romanian capit
Romania nightclub fire toll rises to 54
AFP
November 13, 2015, 5:22 am
Bucharest (AFP) - Four more people have died from injuries sustained in a nightclub blaze that toppled Romania's government, bringing the toll to 54, doctors said Thursday.
The bassist from local hard rock group Goodbye to Gravity, which was performing in the Colectiv nightclub when the October 30 fire erupted, died on Wednesday night after he was transferred to France for treatment.
Three more died in hospitals in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
Another 66 people are still hospitalised, a dozen of whom are in critical condition.
The basement club was packed with some 400 mainly young revellers when fireworks were let off, triggering a blaze and a stampede.
Initial investigations pointed to numerous breaches of safety standards at the club, which critics saw as emblematic of the corruption gripping one of the European Union's poorest nations.
The venue's three owners have been detained on suspicion of causing manslaughter.
The tragedy sparked mass anti-government protests, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who had already been under pressure to quit over allegations of tax evasion and money-laundering.
On Tuesday, former EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos was appointed as his successor.
Re: Nightclub blaze after fireworks explosion kills 27, injures 180 in Romanian capit
Teen's death pushes Romania nightclub fire toll to 60
AFP
November 23, 2015, 5:41 am
Bucharest (AFP) - The death toll in the nightclub blaze that toppled Romania's government late last month rose to 60 on Sunday, following the death of a teenaged student in an Austrian hospital, medical sources said.
The 19-year-old had been transferred to a Vienna hospital on November 7, after a week of treatment in Bucharest.
Another 40 people remain in hospital in Romania with injuries suffered in the fire that raged through a basement club in the capital on October 30. Twenty-eight others have been flown abroad for treatment.
The ill-fated nightclub was packed with some 400 revellers attending a rock concert when fireworks were let off, triggering a blaze and stampede. Twenty-six people died on the spot and nearly 200 were injured.
Initial investigations pointed to numerous breaches of safety regulations at the club, which critics saw as emblematic of the corruption and lax standards holding back one of the European Union's poorest nations.
The venue's three owners are have been charged with manslaughter.
The tragedy sparked mass anti-government protests, which led to the resignation of prime minister Victor Ponta, who had already been under pressure to quit over allegations of tax evasion and money-laundering.
He has been replaced by former EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos.
