Image copyright EPA Image caption Distraught relatives gathered in front of police headquarters in Caracas

At least 17 people have been killed in a stampede in a nightclub in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, the Interior Minister Néstor Reverol has confirmed.

The stampede was triggered when a tear-gas canister was set off during a brawl, he said.

Party-goers were celebrating the end of the school year and several of the dead are reported to be minors.

Seven people have been arrested over the case, the minister said.

The stampede took place at the Club Los Cotorros in the El Paraíso district in western Caracas, local media reported.

Some 500 party-goers rushed for the exit when the tear-gas canister was detonated during a fight in the early hours of Saturday morning, Mr Reverol told state television.

Among those detained are two minors identified by witnesses along with the owner of the club for failing to implement measures to prevent weapons being brought into the premises.

"The majority of the deceased... were between 16 and 20 years old," journalist Darvinson Rojas told La Patilla news website.

"Some died from asphyxiation, others from injuries sustained when they tried to escape the room when the explosive was detonated."

Five people injured in the incident, one seriously, are being treated in hospital, Efe news agency reports.</s>At least 17 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede in a nightclub in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, the Interior Minister Néstor Reverol has confirmed.

“The stampede was triggered when a tear-gas canister was set off during a brawl,” BBC reported quoting the Minister.

Party-goers were celebrating the end of the school year and several of the dead are reported to be minors.

Seven people have been arrested over the incident, the Interior Minister said.

The stampede took place at the Club Los Cotorros in the El Paraíso district in western Caracas, according to the local media.</s>At least 17 people have been killed in a stampede in a nightclub in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, the Interior Minister Néstor Reverol has confirmed.

The stampede was triggered when a tear-gas canister was set off during a brawl, he said.

Party-goers were celebrating the end of the school year and several of the dead are reported to be minors.

Seven people have been arrested over the case, the minister said.</s>Venezula: According to the official information given by the Interior Minister Nestor Reverol, in an incident that took place in the Venezuelan capital Caracas killed at least 17 people after a tear-gas canister was set off during the celebration.

Media reported quoting the Minister, “The stampede was triggered when a tear-gas canister was set off during a brawl.”

Party-goers were celebrating the end of the school year and several of the dead are reported to be minors.

Seven people have been arrested over the incident, the Interior Minister said.

The stampede took place at the Club Los Cotorros in the El Paraíso district in western Caracas, according to the local media.</s>At least 17 people died Saturday when a tear-gas grenade triggered a stampede during an end-of-school-year party attended by more than 500 people in Caracas, Venezuela's interior minister said.</s>Seventeen people were killed at a crowded nightclub in Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday after a tear gas device exploded during a brawl and triggered a desperate stampede among hundreds gathered for a graduation celebration.

Seventeen people were killed at a crowded nightclub in Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday after a tear gas device exploded during a brawl and triggered a desperate stampede among hundreds gathered for a graduation celebration.

Interior minister Nestor Reverol said the incident at the Los Cotorros club in the middle-class area of El Paraiso left eight minors dead and five injured. Seven people have been detained, including the individual believed to have set off the tear gas canister.

“The establishment has been ordered closed and we are investigating in co-ordination with the public ministry, which is directing the criminal investigation,” he said. People wait outside police headquarters for their relatives after a nightclub stampeded (Ariana Cubillos/AP/PA) Outside the club, several mismatched shoes, including a sandal with a puckered red lip decoration, lay on the sidewalk.

More than 500 people were believed to be inside the club when the fight broke out. Photos shared online from previous celebrations at the club show a dark interior with wooden tables and a stage upfront where DJs shuffled songs. Outside, a faded sign on the red brick building read, “We’ve opened!” Metal bars covered the doors and windows.

Jesus Armas, an opposition councilman who lives in the area, said the Interior Ministry should explain how a civilian was able to obtain tear gas canisters that should only be utilised by state security forces. He also urged authorities to investigate whether the club had permission to hold several hundred people inside. “That’s not a big space and that should not be authorised,” he said.

Barbara Barca (centre), a survivor of the stampede, is hugged by relatives (Ariana Cubillos/AP/PA) Mr Armas added that other violent incidents had taken place inside the club, which is frequently used by the Ecuadorean community for parties and political events. Police have detained the owner of the club for “not guaranteeing adequate supervision and preventing the entry of any type of weapon”. No information on the owner’s name, exact charges or current whereabouts was immediately provided.

Family members who gathered outside the hospital where many victims were taken wept and embraced one another as they tried to find out what had happened.

Julio Cesar Perdomo said his injured son told him the tear gas was launched from a bathroom and that the establishment then closed the doors.</s>Venezuela's government says 17 people were killed Saturday after a nightclub brawl in the capital led to a stampede

CARACAS,Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government says 17 people were killed Saturday after a nightclub brawl in the capital led to a stampede.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said eight minors were among those killed. Another five people were injured.

He said a tear gas device exploded after the fight broke out during a graduation celebration at “Los Cotorros” club in the middle-class neighborhood of El Paraiso, triggering the stampede of more than 500 people.

He also said seven people were arrested, including the owner of the club and the person who is believed to have launched the explosive device.

Most of the injured were being treated at nearby hospitals, and one minor was in serious condition.</s>Seventeen people have been killed in a Venezuelan nightclub following a stampede triggered by a tear gas canister exploding inside, said officials.

Eight youngsters were among the dead in the tragedy which happened during a graduation celebration in the country's capital Caracas.

Some of the victims were reported to have suffocated.

More than 500 people were believed to be inside the Los Cotorros venue when a fight broke out, leading to the device being let off.

Two teenagers, believed to be responsible for setting it off, have been detained along with six other people.

People wait outside police headquarters following a stampede at a crowded nightclub that left 17 people dead, 16-06-2018. Image: Ariana Cubillos/AP/Press Association Images

Julio Cesar Perdomo said his injured son had told him the tear gas came from inside a bathroom and partygoers tried to flee but found the club's door closed.

Officials have not confirmed or denied the claim.

One of those who lost their child was Nilson Guerra who told reporters: "All I know is my son is dead."

Meanwhile, Haide Berrio, whose 17-year-old nephew was killed, said she had gone to try and find him after hearing about the commotion at the club and knowing that he was attending the party.

Relatives of the boy found him among the dead and said he was killed by asphyxia.

 "I am asking for justice," she said.

Local councillor, Jesus Armas, said the interior ministry should explain how a civilian was able to get hold of tear gas canisters which only security forces should have.

She also urged officials to investigate whether the club had permission to hold several hundred people inside.

"That's not a big space and that should not be authorised," he said.</s>Venezuela nightclub stampede leaves at least 17 people dead, including eight minors

At least 17 people have been killed in a stampede in a Caracas nightclub in Venezuela after a person activated a tear gas grenade inside, Venezuela's interior minister Nestor Reverol says.

More than 500 people were at a party at the Los Cotorros club in the middle-class El Paraiso neighbourhood when the device went off at about 3:00am during a fight between several people, causing a stampede towards the exits, Mr Reverol said on state TV.

Eleven people suffocated to death when the gas filled the club's confined space, said Noris Villanueva, an autopsy assistant at the local Perez Carreno Hospital, who examined their bodies. It was not clear how the other six died.

Eight of those who died were younger than 18, Mr Reverol said, and five people were injured.

Mr Reverol said authorities had arrested seven people and the investigation was ongoing.

"The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, deplores this unfortunate event," he said.

"We send our condolences to the families."

The club, a two-storey red brick building, was empty later on Saturday morning (local time) and there was no police presence outside.

He only knew his 19-year-old son Luis had died because he had seen him in the morgue. Another son of his had been hospitalised.

Homicide rates in Venezuela have shot up during the country's spiral into economic crisis and political meltdown and many Caracas residents refuse to go out at night due to security fears.

There were almost 27,000 violent deaths last year, making Venezuela proportionally the world's second most murderous nation after El Salvador, according to a local crime monitoring group.

The homicide rate in Caracas alone was 104 per 100,000 people, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence said.

Authorities say non-governmental groups inflate figures to create paranoia and tarnish Maduro's socialist Government.</s>Venezuela’s government says 17 people were killed Saturday after a nightclub brawl led to a stampede.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said eight minors were among those killed. Another five people were injured.

He said a tear gas device exploded after the fight broke out during a graduation celebration at “Los Cotorros” club, triggering the stampede.

He also said seven people were arrested, including the owner of the club and the person who is believed to have launched the explosive device.
At least 17 people are killed in a stampede at a nightclub in Caracas, Venezuela. The stampede was reportedly triggered when a tear-gas canister was set off during a brawl. Seven people have been arrested.