A look back at the tragedy in the Colectiv nightclub
Almost one month after the fire in the “Colectiv Bucharest-based nightclub, forensic experts are carrying on investigations to establish what caused this tragedy and to find the people responsible for it.
Valentin Țigău, 27.11.2015, 13:57
A terrible fire took place on October 30th in the “Colectiv” nightclub in Bucharest during a free concert by the rock band Goodbye to Gravity. According to preliminary data, the fire was caused by the fireworks used during the concert, killing 60 and wounding another 186. Given the gravity of the event the Romanian authorities declared three days of national mourning.
The fire also brought people into the streets. They condemned the corruption of politicians and asked for the resignation of the then prime minister Victor Ponta, who eventually resigned on November 4th together with his government dominated by the Social Democrats. At present forensic experts are continuing investigations to establish the circumstances of the most serious accident in Romania after 1989.
The police arrested several people in this case and the leadership of the Bucharest Inspectorate for Emergency Situations was dismissed after the press revealed that the institution hid the truth regarding the responsibilities it had in preventing the fire at the “Colectiv” nightclub. 37 people injured in the Colectiv fire are still in hospitals in Bucharest, of whom 6 are in a critical condition. Another 39 people who sustained burns are being treated in hospitals abroad, in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Great Britain, Norway and Israel.
The government will fully cover the costs for the medical treatment the Romanian patients are getting abroad. An emergency ordinance set the monthly costs for a patient at between 90 thousand and 100 thousand euros, an amount that could be augmented, if need be. Tens of thousands of Romanians joined hand to help these people, proving solidarity and civic spirit.
According to the American ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, their action was inspiring to many members of the international community. On Wednesday, the “Bagdasar-Arseni” Emergency Hospital in Bucharest received medical aid worth 100 thousand euros offered by the German Federal Government.
