DHAKA: At least 27 people have been killed after fire broke out at a nightclub in the Romanian capital Bucharest, government officials say.

Romanian media said a large fire took hold at the Colectiv club on Friday night, causing a stampede for the exit, reports the BBC.

Emergency response chief Raed Arafat said 155 people were being treated in hospital.

Reports suggest the cause of the blaze may have been fireworks that were let off inside the club.

Witnesses said a spark on a stage where a band was performing ignited some of the polystyrene decor. A pillar and the club's ceiling caught fire and there was an explosion and heavy smoke, they added.

"People were fainting; they were fainting from the smoke. It was total chaos, people were trampling on each other," Victor Ionescu, who was at the club, told local TV station Antena 3.

BDST: 0820 HRS, OCT 30,  2015
RS