Romanian media blame authorities, club owners over deadly fire

Romanian media Sunday slammed as "irresponsible" both authorities and the owners of a nightclub where a fire and stampede left 27 dead and nearly 200 injured, as hearings on the tragedy were set to begin.
"Coincidence, a curse or criminal negligence?" headlined the Evenimentul Zilei newspaper.

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.

An editorial in the daily Gandul accused authorities of failing to impose stricter safety regulations in bars and discos after similar deadly accidents.

"Who is responsible for the fact that we are more stunned by the 'number of dead' than that people died?" it said.

It blamed the disaster on "irresponsibility" and "unscrupulousness".

Witnesses said the disco was packed -- with between 300 and 500 mostly young people according to the interior ministry -- for a gig by a local heavy metal band, Goodbye to Gravity, late on Friday when fireworks unleashed a blaze that was followed by a stampede as terrified clubbers scrambled to reach the exit.

Two guitarists from the band were among the 27 dead, the Mediafax news agency said.

Nearly 200 people were injured, 146 of whom were hospitalised.

"Thirty-five of the injured are in a critical condition," said Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu.

Witnesses said only one door was open at the club, which had no emergency exit.

A representative of the private company that carried out renovations inside 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, said the secretary of state at the interior ministry, Raed Arafat.

- Gestures of solidarity -

President Klaus Iohannis on Saturday pointed to safety failings at the nightclub.

"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 added after visiting the scene. "We already have indications that the legal regulations had not been respected."

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," said the prosecutor's office.

A judicial source said prosecutors would also question the three shareholders in the club.

Nearly 200 people were injured, 146 of whom were hospitalised.

According to several witnesses, most of the victims were overcome by the 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.
by Mihaela Rodina