Carly Rae Jepsen cancels Bucharest gig after nightclub horror

Carly Rae Jepsen cancelled her concert in Romania on Thursday (05Nov15) "out of respect" for those killed in the nation's nightclub inferno last week (ends30Oct15).

More than 30 revellers, including two members of rockers Goodbye to Gravity, died in the horrific blaze at Bucharest's Colectiv venue, while at least 130 people were hospitalised after a pyrotechnic display went wrong during the band's gig there on Friday (30Oct15).

The horrific incident prompted mass demonstrations on the streets of Bucharest on Tuesday (03Nov15), and the next morning (04Nov15), Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced the shock resignation of his entire government.

"I'm handing in my mandate, I'm resigning, and implicitly my government too," he wrote in a statement. "I hope the government's resignation will satisfy the people who came out in the streets."

As the country continues to reel from the tragedy, Carly decided it best to pull out of plans to perform in the capital city.
"Out of respect to everyone affected by the tragic fire, my concert in Bucharest won't be taking place today," she wrote on Twitter.com on Thursday (05Nov15). "Sending so much love to Romania".

Police officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, the deadliest nightclub blaze in the country's history, and have arrested three owners of Colectiv as part of the probe.

Goodbye to Gravity guitarists Vlad Telea and Mihai Alexandru perished in the horror, while frontman Andrei Galut and bassist Alex Pascu were treated for severe burns in hospital.

Reports suggest Galut had initially joked about the incident before realising the seriousness of the situation, which occurred not long after the group performed a new song ironically called, This is the Day We Die.

In a post on Facebook.com, rock fan Delia Tugui, who was at the gig with her husband and son, recalled the moment a spark on stage apparently ignited a piece of polystyrene decoration.

"The lead singer made a quick joke: 'This wasn't part of the program,'" she wrote. "The next second, he realized it wasn't a joke and asked for a fire extinguisher. In 30 seconds... the fire spread all over the ceiling. People rushed to the entrance but it was too narrow, and people panicked. Friends were looking for each other under the pile of people. It was a nightmare."