Thousands march in Romania as toll from nightclub fire reaches 32
Thousands of people protested across Romania on November 3, demanding cabinet resignations as the death toll from a nightclub fire reached 32, with dozens more people in hospital critically hurt.
In Bucharest, over 20,000 people marched to the government headquarters and the interior ministry, and protests spread out in the central Romanian cities of Brasov and Ploiesti. More rallies were being announced on Facebook across Romania in coming days.
The fire broke out on October 30 night, when fireworks lit at a rock concert inside the Colectiv club set non-fireproofed insulation foam ablaze, triggering a stampede towards the single exit and trapping many of the roughly 400-strong audience inside.
In Bucharest, marchers shouted demands for Prime Minister Victor Ponta and deputy prime minister Gabriel Oprea to resign along with the mayor of the district where Colectiv is located.
Donors queued at blood centres and volunteers took food and drinks to Bucharest hospitals for medical staff and victims' families.
Outside Colectiv, thousands of people laid a blanket of candles and flowers in remembrance.
Late on November 3, a Bucharest court decided to grant prosecutors a 30-day arrest warrant against the three owners of Colectiv, who were taken into custody on November 2 on suspicion of manslaughter.
The government passed additional legislation on November 3 that would allow Romania's emergency response authority to immediately shut venues that do not have permits, take adequate safety measures or observe entry limits.