The relatives of the Colectiv fire’s victims, as well as the survivors of the deadly blaze set up an association aiming to file criminal complaints against former Health Minister Nicolae Bănicioiu, against secretary of state Raed Arafat and against the managers of the hospitals which treated the injured. The Colectiv association’s representatives claim that authorities had lied to them and that many injured had been infected in hospitals and they had not been transferred to other medical units abroad in due time.
“Colectiv GTG 3010” association has seven founder members and serves the interests of over 100 members. The association is led by Eugen Iancu, the father of 22-year-old Mihai Alexandru Iancu, dead in the Colectiv fire.
“We want to help the victims. People don’t know that there are a lot of seriously injured patients, people don’t know that these kids need prosthesis as they don’t have fingers anymore or they need plastic surgeries for they don’t have a face anymore. If you don’t join forces as a vocal group you do nothing in this country. We don’t ask for charity, we are not interested in politics. But the Romanian state has done huge mistakes from the administrative point of view,” Eugen Iancu said in a press conference.
Another founder member is Laurentiu Istrate, the father of another young man who died 13 days from the tragedy, due to a bacterium contracted from the hospital.
“I want a change for the better for the other kids. I would like that my daughters shouldn’t be afraid to have fun at coming of age. Some youngsters who have been in the club that night are physically and mentally affected. They need a social reinsertion that could take years. Our goals are to recover these youngsters. We don’t want to let things this way. Those who made mistakes won’t take responsibility for the tragedy,” Istrate argued.
The association is blaming the Inspectorate for the Emergency Situations for authorizing the Colectiv nightclub, as well as the rescue teams. “The intervention on the scene has been a disaster (…) Firemen entered a wrong gate, they left the car there and surrounded the building on foot. The Red Plan was initiated too late. I kept asking Raed Arafat who was the doctor sorting the injured. The law says that, if there are over 18 victims, someone must take care of the patients’ selection. I haven’t got any answer to this question so far,” the president of the association said.
Eugen Iancu pointed out that he has no intention of fighting anyone, but just wants the legal bodies to be allowed to do their job.
He argued that five months after the tragedy, nothing has changed and that despite a government was toppled, not a single person has been changed. Referring to Raed Arafat, Iancu said that he had been lied by his subordinated and that his unit had a disastrous intervention.
“My child went to the hospital alone and after ten days he was dead, covered with a tent blanket. He still had smoke black on his face. He didn’t die due to the burns. Doctors won’t assume responsibility. It’s true, doctors have been working, but did they save lives?” Iancu stated, adding that he would file complaints against all those considered guilty for the death of the 64 youngsters.