HOLOCAUST IN RUMANIAN CHURCH

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 10358, 22 April 1930, Page 3

HOLOCAUST IN RUMANIAN CHURCH

One. Hundred and Fifty Persons Perish.

CANDLE IGNITES PAPER WREATH.

Bucharest, April 20

A shocking disaster occurred in the little town of Gaesti, Rumania, while a Good Friday service was in progress. The flame of a candle ignited a paper wreath and the fire spread to the building. In the ensuing panic great loss of life was caused. The congregation consisted principally of women and children. In their rush for the doors, which opened inwards and became jammed, many were trapped. It is feared that 150 victims were burned or trampled to death, including two priests. It is believed that only three people were saved. The decorations for the orthodox service rapidly spread the flames. The villagers were unable to rescue the great majority of the worshippers. They surrounded the building, knelt and covered their faces with their hands and sobbed aloud. The victims w r ill be buried in a common grave on the site of the burned church. Survivors relate that a priest heroically sought to avert a panic by continuing to read the gospel in a loud voice until overwhelmed by smoke and flames. It is stated that it was a woman’s action that caused the tragedy. She blocked the only exit, refusing to move until someone rescued her two children who were seated in front pews. An appalling panic ensued. The fire brigade arrived just as the roof fell in. The victims were tightly packed together, in many cases only the heads of charred .bodies remaining. One hundred bereaved mothers have vowed to commit suicide at the victims’ grave by remaining there till they have starved.