2015-11-03 10:18:00

Three detained over Romania's deadliest nightclub fire


(Vatican Radio) Prosecutors say three owners of a nightclub in Romania where 31 people died in a fire on Friday have been detained for suspected manslaughter. 

Listen to Stefan Bos’ report:

The arrested men were questioned for several hours about the blaze in the capital

Bucharest, which started when fireworks were set off by a band performing at the venue.

Officials say three men, aged between 28 and 36, were interrogated Monday about what has been described as Romania's deadliest nightclub fire on record.

The trio - named as Costin Mincu, Alin George Anastasescu and Paul Gancea – are accused of allowing the Collectiv club in Bucharest to be overcrowded and of not taking sufficient steps to ensure it had enough emergency exits.

One of those being held is reportedly a barman with shares in several clubs. None of those detained made any comment.

The fire started when fireworks were set off during a performance by Rock band Goodbye to Gravity inside the club which lit flammable insulation foam on a pillar and spread quickly, starting a stampede.

QUESTIONS REMAIN

However questions by survivors and media as to why authorities allowed the club to operate in a nation known for rampant corruption.

Yet emergency situations Raed Arafat denies government wrongdoing. "It is not normal and normally this club shouldn't have existed," he said.

"Because that is what we are trying to explain to the public opinion of Romania is that this club never requested an authorization and never declared what they wanted to do there," Arafat added.

Owners of three other night clubs have admitted they had recklessly failed to uphold safety standards.

In statements they apologised for their actions, with one confessing that he had put thousands of lives in danger and another conceding he had been "ignorant and irresponsible".

THOUSANDS MARCH

Yet those words seem to mean little to those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.

Over the weekend thousands of people marched through Bucharest and left flowers and candles at the basement club Colectiv where the tragedy happened including President Andrzej Duda of Poland who was in Romania for an official visit.

They also honored two heroes of Friday night’s blaze. Both of the men perished in the fire after helping others.

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.

Dozens of mainly young people perished in the blast and with more than 100 others still being treated in hospitals, authorities fear the death toll will rise.








All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.