Peru: 13 die in stampede during lockdown raid on nightclub

23 August 2020, 15:08

Thirteen people have died and three others have been injured in a stampede at a nightclub in Peru after police raided the premises to enforce the country's coronavirus lockdown regulations.

The stampede happened at the Thomas disco in Lima, where about 120 people had gathered for a party on Saturday night, the Interior Ministry said.

People tried to escape through a door, trampling one another and becoming trapped in the confined space, according to authorities.

Large gatherings are banned in Peru and a nationwide 10pm curfew is in effect.

Police said in a statement that they did not use “any type of weapon or tear gas to clear the premises.”

The victims were killed in a stampede on a staircase while trying to get away from police at the venue which was on the 2nd floor.

Police are investigating and trying to trace the owners of the nightclub. Twenty-three people were arrested at the scene.

"The Ministry of the Interior profoundly regrets the deaths of 13 people as a consequence of the criminal irresponsibility of an unscrupulous business owner," a statement said.