At least 145 people were taken by ambulances to hospitals after a fire broke out at a club named Colectiv on Friday night. Witnesses told Antena 3 TV 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.
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“The only information we have is that fireworks were used in the club and after that tragedy happened, it is under investigation”, He told reporters. “I realized that those on the other side of the bar would not get out alive”, she wrote.
Numerous injured were in critical condition at 12 hospitals, authorities said.
A witness quoted by Romania’s state news agency said people were forced to break the second door down in order to escape.
“Unfortunately, the death toll may change taking into account the severity of their injuries”, Arafat said after an emergency meeting early on Saturday.
Romania’s premier, Victor Ponta, cut short a trip to Mexico to return to Bucharest, where he immediately declared three days of mourning for the victims of the nightclub fire.
– December, 2004: In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a fire killed 194 people at the crowded Cromagnon Republic club after a flare ignited ceiling foam. The band, Goodbye to Gravity, was celebrating a new album with a free concert. “They then set fire to wood inside the building, which burned everything really quickly”, he said.
The interior ministry said 81 of the injured had been identified.
Shooting candles and indoor fireworks are common in bars and restaurants in Romania and fire regulations can be lax.
Prosecutors said they are investigating possible manslaughter charges.
The post 27 dead, dozens injured after fire blazes through Romanian nightclub appeared first on PBS NewsHour. The band have not yet made a statement in regards to last night’s events. I spoke to a patient’s mom.
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The incident was the worst of its kind in Romania’s history and is reminiscent of the February 2003 nightclub fire at a Great White concert in Rhode Island, where onstage pyrotechnics caused a fire that killed 100 people. “I hope that the authorities manage their inquiry with speed and rigour”.
