Romania in Mourning After Deadly Nightclub Fire

"I came here to pay homage to the young people who died without any reason. I am saddened, but also revolted that such a tragedy was possible," Madalin Ursu, a 37-year-old engineer who joined the commemoration march in Romania's capital on Sunday, told BIRN.

"We want a rigorous inquiry into what happened in the club and those responsible to be punished according to the law. I am sure this was a tragedy caused in a way by corruption, indifference and incompetence," she added.

The fire at the Colective club in the capital was caused by pyrotechnics set off during a heavy metal concert on Friday.

Twenty-six people were killed on the spot and four more died in hospitals in the following days.

Of the nearly 200 injured, 146 people were hospitalised for burns, smoke inhalation and other injuries. Some 35 of them are in a critical condition.

Authorities say the number of victims is expected to grow.

Hundreds of people in Iasi, Cluj-Napoca and other big cities in Romania also gathered to commemorate the victims, laying flowers and lighting candles in memory of the deceased.

Media reports said there were indications that safety regulations had not been respected at the club.

Around 400 people were inside the Colective nightclub in a space where only a quarter of them should have been.

A pillar covered with foam caught fire and the blaze quickly spread to the ceiling.

As hundreds of partygoers rushed to the only working exit door at the venue, pieces of the burning ceiling fell onto the crowd.

A second exit door was later opened, but many people had already suffered burns.

It took ambulances and firefighters around 10 minutes to reach the scene, according to the authorities. Access to the club was...