Explosion kills 26 in Romanian nightclub

An explosion in a Bucharest nightclub has left 26 people dead, while 88 have been taken to hospital with injuries.

Romania’s interior minister Gabriel Oprea said the explosion occurred at a club in central Bucharest, a city of three million people.

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

Mr Oprea visited the Colectiv club. The ministry has said there were 60 ambulances and fire engines sent to the scene and a mobile hospital had been set up outside.