One club said on Monday it was unsafe and was closing down, and two others said they would close temporarily to upgrade fire security measures. “Weekend after weekend and sometimes during the week”, he said.
Advertisement
“We consider we have been ignorant and irresponsible”, the venue’s Facebook page reads. “We were lucky. We don’t want to put anyone’s life in danger”, it said.
Friday’s fire broke out at about 23:00 (21:00 GMT) at the Colectiv club, which was hosting a free rock concert by the band Goodbye to Gravity. Witnesses say the blaze erupted after a spark on stage from a heavy-metal pyrotechnics show ignited foam decor and sending panicked people rushing for a single exit.
Of those, 90 are in a critical or serious condition. The latest death was announced Monday evening.
The arrested owners of the Colectiv Club are yet to comment on Friday night’s incident, though according to the Associated Press the owners of three other nightclubs in Romania have admitted that they too failed to uphold safety standards in their venues. As many as 26 people died in the fire at the club and one died shortly after being taken to hospital.
Hundreds of people gathered outside Colectiv on Monday to light candles and place flowers in remembrance of the victims, after thousands marched in silence through the city on Sunday.
Premier Victor Ponta cut short a visit to Mexico to return to Bucharest and declared three days of mourning.
Photographer Claudiu Petre went back into the club twice, saving a woman before succumbing to his injuries and drummer Adrian Rugina helped victims of the stampede before being overwhelmed by thick smoke. It injured over 150 of the 400 people thought to be at the club that night, killing 29.
Prosecutors also questioned the three owners of Colectiv on suspicion of manslaughter and causing involuntary bodily harm.
Advertisement
“Data and evidence… have shown the fire occurred because the people managing the respective space encouraged and allowed a number of people above the club’s limit in a space that was not endowed with more emergency exits”, prosecutors said.
