Stampede at nightclub in Venezuela leaves 17 dead

A stampede at a nightclub in Caracas, Venezuela has left at least 17 people dead, including eight minors, according to CNN.

Approximately 500 people were at the Los Cotorros nightclub on Saturday for a pre-graduation party when a fight broke out at 3:00am. It is being reported that a partygoer at the venue then detonated a tear-gas canister inside, which apparently sparked panic and a stampede ensued.

The initial report by the National Police states that at least 11 people died from asphyxiation when the gas filled the venue. It is not clear how the other six died. Eight of those who died were younger than 18 and another five people were injured in the tragedy.

Venezuela’s interior minister Nestor Reverol releases a statement in response: “The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, deplores this unfortunate event. We send our condolences to the families.”

Reverol also said that seven people, including two minors, have been detained in relation to the attack. An eyewitness confirmed that one of the minors detonated the tear-gas. An investigation is ongoing and officials have ordered the club to be shut down. The venue owner was also arrested for failing to have proper measures to ensure no weapons entered the club.

In the past stampedes have led to tragedies at Falls Festival in 2016 that left more than 80 people injured and Love Parade in 2010 that left 21 people dead and more than 500 injured. Last year a trial was ordered over the Love Parade deaths, which began in December 2017.

Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here