Radio România Internațional

Tag: Colectiv nightclub fire

  • Colectiv, 5 years on

    Colectiv, 5 years on

    Romania’s President
    Klaus Iohannis announced he would ratify the law on providing lifelong medical
    treatment to the survivors of the Colectiv nightclub fire of October 30 2015, on
    the very day the tragedy occurred 5 years ago. The Chamber of Deputies, as the
    decision-making body in the matter, passed a draft law according to which the
    expenses linked to any kind of treatment, underwent at home or abroad, in the
    case of people whose health was affected by the Colectiv nightclub fire, will
    be covered by the Ministry of Health for the entire duration of their lives. Five
    years after the fire that claimed the lives of dozens of young people and
    ruined the lives of scores of others and victims’ families, the survivors still
    demand justice be served.

    The Colectiv court case has reached the sentencing
    phase. The last appearance at the Court of Appeal was postponed, as some of the
    defendants had not hired legal representatives. In the aforementioned case the
    former mayor of District 4 and other city hall public servants, but also the
    club owners, two firefighters, members of the pyrotechnics crew and
    representatives of the fireworks show were all handed prison sentences. The defendants
    and the institutions they represent must now pay some €10 million in damages to
    the victims. The Colectiv Association, set up by the victims’ families and
    survivors, claims that, in the five years that have since passed, the
    authorities have made no changes to avoid similar tragedies from happening in
    the future.

    The tragedy is also the subject of a film, which has been nominated
    to represent Romania in the 2021 Academy Awards in the best international
    feature section. The film follows the events unfolding 1 year after the fire,
    and tells the story of people fighting the system, truth versus manipulation,
    the clash between private and public interests, but also courage and
    accountability.

    On the night of October 30, 2015, a rock band climbed on an improvised
    stage at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, venued in an old factory. Shortly
    after the concert started, the fireworks accompanying the show ignited the
    club’s acoustic foam. The fire lasted 153 seconds, enough to kill many people
    inside the overcrowded club on the spot, but also for others to get killed in
    the ensuing stampede towards the club’s only exit, inhaling a toxic mix of
    fumes. The then Prime Minister shortly resigned, and so did the Mayor of
    Bucharest’s District 4, where the club was located. Meanwhile the wounded were
    transported for medical care abroad or remained in the country for treatment.
    Many died to sustained burns or hospital-acquired infections. Street protests
    shortly followed under the slogan corruption kills!. A criminal investigation
    was launched, people were arrested, the court case dragged on, the sentences were
    finally passed, and

  • The Colectiv tragedy, again in the limelight

    The Colectiv tragedy, again in the limelight

    The death toll of the Colectiv nightclub fire has risen to 64, after a new patient with burn injuries died in Bucharest. Aged 21, the young man was a student at the Economic Science Academy in Bucharest, and was the last of all the patients who received specialized care in Romanian hospitals. Doctors say he died of a hemorrhagic complication after undergoing a string of surgeries during his four months of treatment.



    Another 10 patients are in specialized care in hospitals abroad. Among those who lost their lives in the fire were artists, photographers, journalists, Olympic medallists and foreign students. On October 30 2015, a fire broke out in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest where the rock band Goodbye to Gravity was giving a concert marking the release of a new album. According to eyewitness accounts, the fire was caused by fireworks, and the blaze quickly spread to the ceiling.



    People panicked and tried to leave the club, causing a stampede near the exit door. Those who were closer to the exit door were able to get out of the smoke-engulfed room. Those who were farther from the door stood little chances, dying either in the fire or from smoke poisoning. The tragedy hit the headlines in international media, prompting the famous Discovery channel to produce a documentary called The Colectiv Disaster, which aired on Sunday.



    The documentary presents a chronological progression of the tragic events that night, based on the accounts of the people who were directly involved — survivors, family of the victims, authorities and medical staff involved in rescue operations. One of the firemen on scene recounts how he collected working cell-phones, all displaying either “mum” or “dad” as caller IDs. “I felt the blaze scorching my hands. My back had become an instrument of torture, and the plastic of my glasses melted in my palms, splashing a stinging, thick liquid all over my chest and neck.



    The excruciating pain had turned us all into malfunctioning marionettes, crawling through the dust and black smoke with fresh, open wounds”, one of the survivors wrote on her social network profile. Meanwhile, the authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the tragedy and are looking for the ones responsible. Romania’s interim Prosecutor General says the investigation is in its final stage. The National Institute for Forensics has recently completed its analysis and submitted it to prosecutors and to the experts of the parties, according to the legislation in force.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigns

    Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigns

    Romanias Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta has resigned. Ponta, who is already facing trial on corruption charges, has been under pressure to step down for several months now. The head of state Klaus Iohannis and the opposition have repeatedly called on him to step down. It was Tuesdays rally that finally convinced him to do so.



    After three days of national mourning and a march in memory of the victims of the Colectiv nightclub fire, 25,000 Romanians took to the streets again, this time to show their deep resentment against those who allowed this tragedy to happen. Young people, families with small children, teenagers and pensioners alike took to the streets of Bucharest complaining about government corruption and asking for a change. Protesters demanded the resignation of Victor Ponta, of the interior minister Gabriel Oprea and of Cristian Popescu Piedone, the mayor of Bucharests District 4 where the nightclub is located. “Ponta must resign!, “Oprea, out! “Assassins! and “Corruption kills!, were some of the slogans chanted by protesters who were gathering in large numbers in the University Square and then in front of the headquarters of the Government, Interior Ministry, Parliament and District 4 City Hall.



    Protesters were carrying national flags and placards saying “Romania without them, “Corruption, indifference and greed suffocate Romania, “Politicians, you are all guilty of destroying Romania!, “We wont leave until you leave! “You should be afraid, the nation is awake!, “The last solution, another revolution!.



    “Its not OK what happens in Romania and we need to make a change.



    Things are going from bad to worse, no rules are being observed…I think our only chance to change things is for all of us to take to the streets and ask for the things we are entitled to.



    “Its really bad whats going on and we have paid a heavy price… I for one, want to live in this country. I have worked abroad and I know I dont want to leave anymore. I love Romania and I want to have a better future here.



    Angry at one of the biggest tragedies in Bucharest over the last decades, the fire at the Colectiv nightclub, protesters have said they are sick and tired of the authorities corruption and carelessness, which have allowed for this terrible thing to happen. Political decision makers, protesters say, must understand once and for all that it is the general interest that should prevail, not the individual one.



    Protests, marches and commemorations took place on Tuesday evening in several cities in Romania. Impressed with the dimension of street protests, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has said that politicians cannot ignore this feeling of revolt and peoples demands for their dignity to be respected. In his turn, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea, has said that time has come for the entire Romanian political class to understand that it has a duty towards the people. Rules should not be applied preferentially, and the law should not be suffocated by corruption and bribery.