26 dead, 88 injured in Romanian club explosion

A fire which has killed at least 26 people in a Romanian nightclub was apparently started by a spark on stage where a band was playing.

Emergency services work outside a nightclub in Bucharest, Romania Source: Reuters

Romania's interior minister says an explosion in a Bucharest nightclub has left 26 people dead and 88 hospitalised with injuries.

Gabriel Oprea said the explosion occurred on Friday night at a club in downtown Bucharest, a city of the million people.

Digi 24 television station cited witnesses who say the explosion came after a spark on a stage where a band was performing ignited some of the polystyrene decor.

"There was a stampede of people running out of the (Colectiv) club," a man who escaped without shoes told Reuters.

The Interior Ministry says there were 60 ambulances and fire engines sent to the scene and a mobile hospital had been set up outside.

The nightclub was hosting a rock concert attended by up to 400.