Brawl, stampede at Venezuela nightclub kills 17

CARACAS: Seventeen people were killed at a crowded nightclub in Venezuela’s capital on Saturday after a tear gas device exploded during a brawl and triggered a desperate stampede among hundreds gathered for a graduation celebration, government officials said.

Interior minister Nestor Reverol said the incident at the Los Cotorros club in the neighbourhood of El Paraiso left eight minors dead and five injured. Eight people were detained, including two teens believed responsible for setting off the tear gas canister.

More than 500 people were believed to be inside the club when the fight broke out.

Police have detained the owner of the club for “not guaranteeing adequate supervision and preventing the entry of any type of weapon”.