Published
Thu, Nov 12, 2015, 13:38
- The bassist from the band playing on the night of the blaze has passed away, along with two teenagers.
The death toll for Romania's recent nightclub tragedy has risen to 51.
A fire tore through Bucharest club Colectiv late on Friday, October 30th. 27 people were confirmed dead in the immediate aftermath, with numbers rising to 45 by November 9th. (In the period in between, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his cabinet resigned.) As Billboard report, six more have passed away since then, including 19-year-old Vladut Roberto Andy, 18-year-old Elena Nitu and 33-year-old Alex Pascu. Pascu was the bassist for heavy metal band Goodbye To Gravity, who were performing in the club when the fire broke out. Only one member survives, lead singer Andrei Galut.
In other related news, Cristian Popescu Piedone, the former mayor of the district that Colectiv is in, has been released from police custody. He and two others were being held on charges of abuse of office and granting authorisation for the club despite it not having the correct permit. According to the local authorities, 76 people remain hospitalised in Bucharest and another 29 are being treated for burns in hospitals abroad.
Photo credit: Vadim Ghirda, Associated Press