BUCHAREST, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Saturday declared a three-day national mourning for the victims of the nightclub fire in downtown Bucharest late Friday.
Ponta made the announcement at the government meeting convened after a fire at a nightclub in downtown Bucharest late Friday killing 27 people and wounding more than 180.
"I am deeply sorry we have to meet in an extraordinary government sitting because of this tragedy that has taken so many young lives," declared the prime minister, adding that "I want to convey all our solidarity, all the moral support we can provide to the families of victims and to those who suffer."
The nightclub fire late Friday was the most serious accident in public places in Romania for decades. The death toll could increase given the seriousness of many wounded, Secretary of State of the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat told the press on Saturday.
According to Arafat, 184 were transported to hospital for treatment while 146 remain admitted for further treatment. Those who remained hospitalized have moderate to severe burn injuries, including a number of wounded in critical condition.
A total of 10 injured at the Hospital for Plastic Surgery are in serious condition, according to the hospital.
The fire was started by a spark when pyrotechnic effects were used during a concert at the nightclub called Colectiv, lighting sponges on a pillar, witnesses said.
Authorities still can not confirm how many people were in the club when the fire burst out, but the estimated number has already doubled over the original claim of 200 people.
The club's Facebook page says the concert marked the launch of an album by pop band Goodbye to Gravity.
The organizers had announced they would stage a custom light show as well as a pyrotechnical display at the event.
