Reuters
At least 27 people were killed and 180 injured after a deadly fire broke out and led to a stampede in a Romanian nightclub on Friday night. Roughly 300 or 400 mostly young people had flocked to the club to watch a metal band play. Witnesses have said there was only one exit from the club and that the fire appears to have started when a spark on stage ignited polystyrene decorations. “The soloist [onstage] made a quick joke: ‘This wasn’t part of the program.’ The next second, he realized it wasn’t a joke and asked for a fire extinguisher,” one concertgoer wrote on Facebook. “In 30 seconds…the fire spread all over the ceiling. People rushed to the entrance but it was too narrow, and people panicked. Behind me people stampeded, climbing over each other, to try and get out.” The Romanian government is expected to announce three days of mourning for the victims and prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation.