The owners of a Bucharest nightclub where a fire killed 32 people and left almost 200 injured have been arrested.
According to the Guardian, Costin Mincu, Alin George Anastasescu and Paul Gancea were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. The three men declined to comment.
Friday’s blaze at rock venue Colectiv is believed to have started when a pyrotechnic display set fire to the stage during a concert by local band Goodbye To Gravity.
Up to 400 people were in the club at the time and a stampede started after the fire took hold and swept through the venue.
Romanian prosecutors say: “Data and evidence have shown the fire occurred because the people managing the respective space encouraged and allowed a number of people above the club’s limit in a space that was not endowed with more emergency exits.”
They add that the owners permitted “a fireworks show in the indoor venue that was improper as it contained easily flammable materials illegally installed to avoid additional costs.”
More than 130 people are still in hospital, with half of those in critical condition.
Other clubs in the country have closed on the back of the tragedy, with others temporarily shutting to improve safety standards.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that two of the dead were members of Goodbye To Gravity, and that a third member of the band is in hospital in a critical condition.
