Romanian nightclub where 27 died in blast ‘only had two exits’

Survivors of a deadly nightclub fire and stampede in Romania say the lead singer of the heavy metal band on stage first made a joke about the fire before it engulfed the basement club in downtown Bucharest.

Numerous injured were in critical condition at 12 hospitals, authorities said. Most victims have burns and are suffering from smoke inhalation.

“I am saddened, but also revolted that a tragedy of this scale could have taken place in Bucharest”, Iohannis said.

“There was a stampede of people running out of the (Colectiv) club”, a man who escaped without shoes told Reuters. Adding to their anxiety was the fact that numerous clubgoers were not carrying identity papers so victims could not immediately be identified.

The fire reportedly killed 27 and injured at least 187 others.

Witnesses described nightmarish scenes when fireworks, set off as part of a show to promote the band’s new album, set fire to a pillar and part of the ceiling. The club was a converted factory with only one exit. “It was total chaos, people were trampled”, Victor Ionescu, a witness, told local media.

While the government weighed next steps, hundreds of Romanian citizens flocked to hospitals and blood donation centers, lining up to give blood to the many club casualties in need of transfusions.

“I just don’t get it. People think this isn’t going to happen to them”, said Dave Kane of Johnston, Rhode Island, whose 18-year-old son Nicholas O’Neill perished in the Station fire.

Authorities still cannot confirm how many people were in the club when the fire burst out, but the estimated number has already doubled over the original claim of 200 people. The fire quickly spread to the ceiling, covered with antiphonal material.

Prosecutors said they are investigating possible manslaughter charges.

“It is a very sad moment for all of us, for our nation and for me personally”, he wrote.

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Police have started an investigation and in the early hours of Saturday morning groups of sombre-faced officers were still sifting through evidence outside the club.