The nightclub fire that rocked Romania
In the aftermath of the tragedy at Colectiv nightclub in 2015, an investigation by a team of journalists at sports newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor uncovered deadly corruption.
When Tedy Ursuleanu went to see a gig at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, in the autumn of 2015, she was lucky to escape with her life. A fire swept through the venue, which only had one fire exit. Tedy sustained life-changing injuries, and 27 others died at the scene. The surviving victims were transferred to hospitals, but in the weeks that followed, they continued to die in large numbers. At Gazeta Sporturilor, one of the oldest sports newspapers in Europe, editor Catalin Tolontan watched events unfold. At first, he remembers, he and his team felt "almost paralysed" by events. Then, an informant contacted them.
Tedy Ursuleanu and Catalin Tolontan give Emily Webb their perspectives on the fire that unseated a government, and uncovered a lethal network of corruption.
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Laura Thomas
Photo: Pictures of victims of Colectiv nightclub fire in Bucharest, Romania
Credit: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
