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Photo Appears to Show Moment That Deadly Blaze Erupted at Metal Show in Romania

At least 27 people were killed and 184 injured when a fire ripped through a popular nightclub in Romania’s capital Bucharest on Friday night.
Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA

At least 27 people were killed and 184 injured when a fire ripped through a popular nightclub in Romania's capital Bucharest on Friday night during a heavy metal show that had been touted for its pyrotechnics.

Around 500 people stampeded for the only available exit from Bucharest's Colectiv Club, which is housed in the basement of a Communist-era shoe factory. Officials and witnesses said fireworks were used during a performance by metal band Goodbye to Gravity. Colectiv Club's Facebook page advertised the show's pyrotechnic effects.

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A photo taken inside the club appears to show a structural column going up flames at the moment the blaze erupted.

A young woman who was released from the hospital after minor injuries described the club bursting into flames. "In five seconds the whole ceiling was all on fire. In the next three, we rushed to a single door," she told television station Antena 3.

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A video shared by Romanian journalist Titi Dinca showed scenes outside the nightclub, including one clip where dozens of people attempt to push a car down the road to make way for firefighters and paramedics.

Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea said a criminal investigation into the cause of the incident is already underway at the General Prosecutor's office.

Any open fire displays and fireworks in Romania require special authorization if used in a public indoor place. Such permits may be granted if the venue is assessed to be safe and equipped with extinguishers, and if the fire department deploys several firefighters to the place.

Romania's Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat said 17 of the 27 dead have not yet been identified, and 146 people remain hospitalized. He said the club did not request a fire permit.

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"Unfortunately, the death toll may change taking into account the severity of their injuries," Arafat said after an emergency meeting on Saturday.

The fire was one of the worst disasters to hit Romania's capital in decades, and the country's government declared three days of national mourning on Saturday.

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