At least 27 people have been killed after a fire swept through a crowded nightclub in the Romanian capital Bucharest, officials said.
The deadly inferno started during the fireworks show when a band was playing in the Colectiv club on Friday night. Government officials said there were between 300 to 400 youngsters at the club when the metal band Goodbye to Gravity was performing, according to Indian Express.
At least 155 people were injured in the accident with 25 remaining in critical condition, according to BBC.
Witnesses said fireworks set the ceiling on fire, sending panic-stricken partygoers running toward the only exit gate of the club.
"People were fainting, they were fainting from the smoke. It was total chaos, people were trampling on each other," said Victor Ionescu, who was in the club when fire broke out, according to Guardian.
"In five seconds the whole ceiling was all on fire. In the next three, we rushed to a single door," another eyewitness told local news channel, according to Reuters.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, in a statement, describe the inferno incident as a "catastrophe." "I'm shocked and deeply saddened by the news. It is a very sad moment for all of us, for our nation and for me personally," he said, according to CNN.
