The Guardian Australia

Britons among dozens hurt in Tenerife nightclub floor collapse

- Robert Booth

Several Britons are among the injured after the floor of a nightclub collapsed in Tenerife, the Foreign and Commonweal­th Office has confirmed.

Forty people are reported to have been hurt in the incident at the packed Butterfly club in Adeje on the island in the Canaries at about 2.30am on Sunday. Revellers were sent tumbling into an empty basement after an area of floor about 4 metres by 4 metres gave way, according to reports.

An Foreign Office spokeswoma­n said: “We are in contact with a number of British nationals who have been injured in an incident in Tenerife and are offering consular assistance.”

Local firefighte­rs said the injured included two French men, two British men, a Romanian man and a Belgian woman. Injuries included broken legs, ankle sprains and bruises.

The Butterfly is a popular gay nightclub, and features drag shows and dancers on Saturday nights, according to its Facebook page.

Emergency services took 21 people to hospital and treated another person at the scene who was released, the regional government said. Another 18 people went to hospital by their own means to be treated, according to the mayor of Tenerife.

“After the floor collapsed, the people who were inside fell to the basement from the height of approximat­ely one floor,” a spokespers­on for the regional government told Agence France-Presse.

Video posted by Tenerife firefighte­rs showed a gaping hole right in front of the club’s stage.

The club had its licence in order and did not appear to be overcrowde­d when the floor caved in, the mayor of Tenerife said.

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