Six dead in Italy nightclub stampede

CORINALDO, Dec 8: Six people, including five teenagers, died and dozens were injured in a stampede when panic broke out during a rap concert at an Italian nightclub early Saturday.
The suspected use of a pepper spray-like substance is thought to have sparked the chaos at the venue in the town of Corinaldo, near Ancona in central Italy.
"The cause may have been the dispersal of a stinging substance, the young people fled and trampled over each other. Sadly, six people died and dozens are injured," the fire service said in a statement on Twitter.
The victims include five people under the age of 18 -- three girls and two boys - and an adult woman who accompanied her daughter to the concert.
Local fire chief Dino Poggiali said that 14 of the injured were in a serious condition, and 40 less serious. As the crowd panicked, people ran for the three emergency exits, one of which led to a small bridge and the car park.
The force of the fleeing crowd made a railing collapse and dozens of people fell, crushing those at the bottom of the pile, according to a preliminary probe.    -AFP