Brawl turns into deadly stampede

Seventeen people were killed at a crowded nightclub in Venezuela’s capital 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 middleclass neighborhood 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.