School officials in Poland on Saturday appealed to the media to be sensitive in their reporting after the death of five teenage girls in an "escape room" fire.
Speaking at a news conference, the headteacher of the victims' school and the regional school inspector called for the media to be sensitive towards the families of the girls, as well as warning people to be mindful of what they post on social media.
The girls killed in Koszalin, in northern Poland, on Friday were taking part in a birthday treat when the fire broke out. One other person was being treated for burns.
Throughout the day on Saturday mourners laid candles outside the escape room where the fire happened.
A local prosecutor told PAP news agency that the fire had probably been caused by an escape of gas near the heating system boiler.
In "escape rooms," participants are locked in a room and race against the clock to solve puzzles and challenges to open a way out. They first became popular in Asia, and have spread across North America and Europe.
Tragic accident
Five teenage girls killed by a fire in an "escape room" attraction in Poland might have survived if there had been a proper evacuation route, a senior firefighter said on Saturday.
Residents in Koszalin, in northern Poland, gathered on Saturday and lit candles outside the game centre where the fire occurred.
The teenagers were killed on Friday whilst taking part in the escape room to celebrate a birthday. One other person was being treated for burns.
The head of the state firefighting service, Leszek Suski, said that the tragedy occurred primarily due to the lack of an effective evacuation route, according to the PAP news agency.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24