Romanian officials say nightclub death toll is expected to rise ‘significantly’

It alleged that two other nightclubs belonging to one of the owners of the Colectivu club in Bucharest, a former shoe factory where the tragedy occurred, have also been destroyed by fire in recent years.

In Romania’s most tragic incident in decades, a Bucharest nightclub fire and explosion has killed 27 people and injured more than 160 over the weekend, during a metal show that featured pyrotechnics. A few 50 of them were taken to the Floreasca emergency hospital, the ministry said.

Officials and witnesses said fireworks had been used inside the club, while the venue’s Facebook page advertised pyrotechnic effects at the show. At least 180 people were injured in the blaze, and over 140 were still in hospital today.

Around 300 fans who attended the free concert ran to the exits after the columns and ceiling were engulfed in flames within seconds.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta asked Saturday for the authorities to verify that all clubs in the country comply with safety standards, after President Klaus Iohannis earlier said the establishment in question didn’t respect the rules or have clearance from firefighters to hold the event. Lead singer Andrei Galut has serious burns, and bassist Alex Pascu and one other band member also were hospitalized with serious injuries.

The fireworks quickly spread to the clubs pillars and then ceiling, reports say, with many fans unaware the fire was out of control, believing it to simply be apart of the show, before it was too late, causing a rush for the singular door to get out, which quickly became blocked.

Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat told reporters it was possible the death toll could double.

Around 500 people, including teenagers as young as 14, ran for the only exit as the basement filled with smoke. “It was total chaos, people were trampling on each other”, he said.

One woman inside the club told Romanian TV there was fire “all over the place”, adding: “I saw people changing their mood from happiness to deep panic”.

Police said that a few 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.