Romanian nightclub fire: 2 teens die; death toll hits 50

BUCHAREST: Two Romanian teenagers who were burned in a deadly nightclub blaze in Bucharest have died in British hospitals, bringing the tragedy's overall death toll to 50.

Elena Beatrice Gagos confirmed the death of her friend Vladut Roberto Andy on Wednesday — his 19th birthday. The St Andrews Center for Burns and Plastic Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, also confirmed his death.

The A. D. Xenopol high school in Bucharest said Wednesday on its Facebook page that student Elena Nitu, 18, had died in a hospital in Liverpool late Tuesday.

Both teens had been transported by a NATO plane to Britain for specialized treatment for burns sustained in the Oct. 30 fire.

In a separate development, the former mayor of the Bucharest district where the basement Colectiv nightclub was located, Cristian Popescu Piedone, was released Wednesday by authorities along with two others. He had been held in custody with two town hall employees on charges of abuse of office and granting authorization for the club despite the fact it did not have a fire permit.

Authorities say 76 people remain hospitalized in Bucharest after the fire, 24 of them in serious or critical condition caused by burns. Another 29 people are being treated in foreign hospitals for burns.