22 hurt as nightclub floor falls 7 metres into basement

AT LEAST 22 people have been injured on the island of Tenerife when the dancefloor in a nightclub popular with tourists suddenly collapsed, plunging revellers seven metres into a basement.

Two of the victims – aged 20 to 59 – were said to be seriously hurt, with injuries including broken legs, fractures and cuts.

The Butterfly Disco Pub in Adeje in the island’s south-west was said to have been full of tourists when the f loor gave way at 2.30am yesterday.

Videos on social media showed club-goers fleeing from the venue clutching their faces as they struggled to breathe, apparently because of dust thrown up by rubble.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and attended to the injured while several were transported to hospital.

The two victims reported to be seriously hurt had suffered broken legs. Others ended up with broken bones and other injuries, while 14 were said to have had minor injuries.

Footage showed firefighters later combing through the wreckage, with a massive hole in the floor of the club where a drop could be seen below.

One blogger who filmed himself near the disaster after the floor collapsed told how the situation was “grave”.

Bolorino said: “I was in a club near the Butterfly called the Papagayo when I took a call from a friend there saying ‘Please come and help me’.

“The disco collapsed and there was a lot of people injured. A lot of people taken to hospital. A lot of police. It collapsed when people were dancing. And a day of fiesta like today, a Saturday. It’s grave.”

Police and firefighters cordoned off the nightclub and were combing through the debris looking for clues as to how the dancefloor collapsed.

Although the area is popular with Irish and UK tourists, there has been no confirmation of injuries from either country.