Romanian club fire death toll rises to 45 after drummer dies of burns

The drummer of a heavy metal band playing when a fire broke out at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, has died, bringing the death toll from the Oct. 30 tragedy to 45.

Bogdan Enache, the drummer in the band, Goodbye to Gravity, died on Sunday evening, said Cristian Nitescu, the medical director of the state burns hospital.

Enache was being transported on a military plane to Zurich, Switzerland, on Sunday afternoon for treatment for his burns when he went into cardiorespiratory failure, the Interior Ministry said. The plane headed back to Bucharest, while medics tried to resuscitate him for 70 minutes. He died after he landed in Romania.

Dozens of people injured in the blaze remain hospitalized with serious burns, and authorities warn that the death toll could rise.

Romania continued to send the injured to other countries for treatment. A plane from NATO arrived in Bucharest late Sunday and will take a number of the injured for treatment to Britain and Norway, emergency situations official Raed Arafat said.

In recent days, 21 injured people have been transported to hospitals in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Israel and Germany, the Health Ministry said.

During the Goodbye to Gravity concert at Colectiv, fire broke out after a spark from a pyrotechnic show ignited foam decor. The band's two guitarists died last week from their injuries.

On Sunday, President Klaus Iohannis appeared at protest, staged by a few hundred people in University Square, now in its sixth consecutive day. Iohannis, who was surrounded by security staff, was booed by demonstrators who shouted "Resign!" He spoke to a few protesters and left after less than half an hour. He has called on Romania's civil society to take part in consultations for a new government.

"I saw revolt [in the square] but also hope that things can change," he said in a post on his Facebook page. "I told people to stay involved, that only together we can all make Romania the country we want it to be." 

Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his Cabinet resigned Wednesday after mass protests, which continued this week.

Enache's death was the fourth reported on Sunday. Nitescu earlier said that a man succumbed to his injuries at the state burns hospital late Saturday.

Mediafax news agency reported two other patients died early Sunday at the Floreasca Emergency Hospital, including a Turkish man studying in Romania and a woman who worked at the club's bar. Nine deaths were announced Saturday.

The Associated Press