At least 27 people were killed and more than 160 injured after a fire ripped through a nightclub in Bucharest late on Friday, in one of the worst accidents to hit the Romanian capital.
The blaze broke out at around 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) at the Colectiv night club, where hundreds of people had gathered for a gig by rock group Goodbye to Gravity.
Hospital sources said the death toll could rise as at least 25 people were in critical condition.
"This is the worst tragedy of its kind" to have ever happened in Bucharest, said the secretary of state for the interior, Raed Arafat.
A meeting of a national emergency committee including representatives from across the government was due to have started at 0500 GMT, according to Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea.
Witnesses quoted by local media described scenes of chaos when fireworks, let off as part of the show, set fire to a pillar and part of the ceiling.
The crowd panicked as thick smoke engulfed the room, leaving people scrambling to escape from the underground club located in a communist-era basement.
"People were fainting, they were fainting because of the smoke. It was total chaos, people were trampled," witness Victor Ionescu told local television station Antena 3.
Many of the wounded were suffering from leg injuries after being trampled in a stampede and smoke inhalation, according to health authorities.
The bassist and singer in Goodbye to Gravity, who were playing a gig to promote their new album, were among those seriously injured, Antena 3 said.
Only one exit open
Another witness, Alain Panduru, said the fire spread in seconds.
"People could not get out of the club because there was only one exit open and the stampede happened immediately," he told online news portal Hotnews.
Several media outlets reported that a second exit was closed when the blaze broke out.
The interior ministry said 27 people had died so far, most of them teenagers and young people, while 162 injured were being treated in several hospitals in the capital.
Police have started an investigation and in the early hours of Saturday morning groups of sombre-faced officers were still sifting through evidence outside the club.
President Klaus Iohannis said he was "shocked" by the incident, adding that he was in "deep pain following the tragedy that took place this evening in the centre of the capital".
"It is a very sad moment for our nation," he said in a post on his Facebook page, expressing his "solidarity and compassion" for the families of the victims.
Oprea branded the incident a "tragedy" and his ministry said several telephone lines have been set up to keep friends and family of those hurt informed.
Identifying the victims has proved difficult as many were not carrying IDs. Music website Metalhead has published a list of anyone who has been hospitalised and was able to give their name on its Facebook page.
A Facebook page has already been set up calling on Romanians to donate blood.
"A tragedy has happened this evening in Bucharest. There is currently enough blood, but tomorrow we will need all of you," said a statement on the page, encouraging people to head to the city's blood transfusion clinic in the morning.
AFP
Sat Oct 31 2015
A victim of the fire at a club is transported to an emergency hospital in Bucharest on October 31, 2015. - AFP pic
'Saya perlu dapatkan semula keyakinan diri' - Zii Jia
Lee Zii Jia mengakui perlu mendapatkan semula keyakinan diri selepas tewas kepada nombor satu dunia Viktor Axelsen semalam.
Selangor sasar noktah miskin tegar Julai ini - MB
Majlis Tindakan Pembangunan Negeri Selangor merekodkan sejumlah 861 keluarga masih berada dalam kategori miskin tegar.
Mesir-Perancis bincang gencatan senjata, bantuan kemanusiaan di Gaza
Mereka menekankan keperluan segera untuk gencatan senjata dan membincangkan beberapa inisiatif yang bertujuan menyelesaikan krisis tersebut.
Kitaro di Festival Muzik Hutan Hujan Dunia 2024
Kitaro bakal membuat persembahan pada Festival Muzik Hutan Hujan Dunia (RWMF) 2024 pada 28-30 Jun ini.
PH kerja keras pertahan DUN KKB, tidak mahu berasa selesa
Walaupun berjaya menguasai kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) selama tiga penggal sejak 2013, namun ia bukanlah tiket untuk Pakatan Harapan (PH) berasa selesa.
MDKpr nafi curi haiwan ternakan dalam kandang
Ahmad Suqairy berkata haiwan itu ditangkap dalam operasi oleh Bahagian Penguatkuasaan MDKpr pada 23 Apr lalu di kawasan Kolej TAR.
488 acara dipertandingkan di SUKMA Sarawak 2024 - MSN
Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) secara rasmi bersetuju menawarkan sejumlah 488 acara dipertandingkan pada temasya SUKMA Sarawak 2024.
Petronas Dagangan catat jualan lebih 16 bilion liter bahan api pada 2023
PDB merekodkan peningkatan perolehan sebanyak dua peratus didorong jumlah jualan lebih tinggi dan keuntungan selepas cukai yang meningkat.
Aset rizab rasmi Malaysia berjumlah AS$113.76 bilion pada akhir Mac - BNM
Aset rizab rasmi Malaysia berjumlah AS$113.76 bilion pada akhir Mac 2024 manakala aset mata wang asing lain adalah US$1.61 bilion, kata Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
Kemunculan Momota di gelanggang pastinya dirindui - Pemain badminton dunia
Momota bakal bersara daripada arena sukan badminton antarabangsa selepas Piala Thomas 2024 yang sedang berlangsung di Chengdu.
Warga Romania beri penghormatan terakhir kepada Raja Michael
Ribuan warga Romania berkumpul bagi memberi penghormatan terakhir kepada bekas pemerintah Romania Raja Michael yang meninggal dunia pada 5 Disember lalu di Aubonne, Switzerland.