Bucharest Nightclub Fire: Death Toll Rises to 45 as More Victims Are Transferred Abroad
Some of the Bucharest nightclub fire victims are being transported by NATO planes to hospitals in Norway and the UK.
The blaze at Bucharest’s Colectiv club on October 30 was started by fireworks that ignited foam on the club’s walls.
On November 8, four more people died of their injuries, bringing the number of deaths to 45, officials say.
Bogdan Enache, the drummer of Goodbye to Gravity band playing the venue, died after his condition worsened on a military plane taking him for treatment in Switzerland.
The plane turned back to Romania but Bogdan Enache died soon after it landed.
Another nine deaths were announced on November 7.
The fire led to mass protests and the resignation of PM Victor Ponta’s government.
More than 30 people remain in a serious or critical condition in hospital, Romania’s health minister said on November 8.
The ministry says 21 people are being treated in hospitals across Europe and in Israel.
The NATO plane left Romania to transport 12 burns victims to the UK and Norway, Emergencies Minister Raed Arafat said. It was not stated how many victims were being taken to each country.
The club owners have been arrested amid allegations that the venue was overcrowded, lacked the required number of emergency exits, and may not have been authorzed to hold such a concert.
Hundreds of protesters continue to hold rallies in Bucharest. The demonstrations have now entered their sixth day.