ROME: - Six people were killed and about 60 people were hospitalised after stampede at a rap concert in a nightclub near the city of Ancona in eastern Italy, a fire department spokesperson told Sputnik on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the Repubblica newspaper reported that six people had been killed and around 120 injured in the incident. “Our work on the scene was completed, we helped the victims to leave the building. Death toll at the moment is six. Now there are law enforcement officers who find out the causes of the incident. We were told that about 60 people had been taken to hospitals,” the spokesperson said.–Sputnik

He repeated an earlier reported version of the incident, according to which the panic and stampede at the concert had been triggered by someone using pepper spray during the event.

Earlier, local police chief Oreste Capocasa said that about 35 people had been injured in the incident, including 12 in serious condition. Lives of some of those injured were in danger, he added.</s>Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said they have found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses following accounts of a teenage boy spraying an irritating substance, triggering a rush by the crowd to flee.

It is not known if the can found was the one whose spray apparently set off the stampede at around 1am on Saturday among a crowd awaiting a rapper’s performance in the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) disco in Corinaldo, a small town in the Marche region of east-central Italy, Police Colonel Cristian Carrozza of the Ancona Carabinieri told reporters.

He also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teenagers, all minors, and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, died in the crush as fleeing concertgoers toppled over a railing at the top of a 1.5m (4.9ft) cement ramp outside an exit. The railing gave way, sending young people tumbling over it and landing on top of each other below.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy’s premier and interior minister told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people, and the capacity of the concert room was about 460.

On Sunday, Carrozza said a count of ticket stubs indicated that about 600 tickets had been used for entry. It was unclear if other people might have got in without having tickets checked by disco personnel.

One of the DJs, Marco Cecchini, told reporters he was sure that more than just one room of the disco was open, in addition to the one with the 460-person capacity.

“I’ve done 40-50 evenings in that place, and, sincerely, there weren’t so many people. I’d estimate maybe 800-900 people, but all the rooms were open,” the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Cecchini, who is the son of one of the disco’s managers, as saying.

Several parents whose children had gone to the concert on Saturday brought police mobile phones to show videos of the disco’s premises in case the images could help in the investigation, ANSA said.

Many parents and patrons have said the disco was jam-packed.

Carrozza said that on Saturday, police had taken accounts from more than 80 people, and many more concertgoers were being questioned on Sunday.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in a critical condition on Sunday while the remaining patients had either already been discharged or were about to be discharged after their condition had improved, doctors said.

Meanwhile, interior minister Matteo Salvini has insisted that safety codes for public places should be rigorously respected, and police overnight shut down two discos in the south, near the port city of Salerno, for apparent overcrowding.</s>ROME — Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said Sunday they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses following accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, triggering the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

It wasn't known if the can found was the one whose spray apparently set off the stampede about 1 a.m. Saturday in a crowd awaiting a rapper's performance in the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) disco in Corinaldo, a small town in the Marche region of east-central Italy, the Carabiniere paramilitary police commander of Ancona province, Col. Cristian Carrozza, told reporters.

He also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teens, all juveniles, and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, died in the crush of fleeing concertgoers who toppled over a railing atop a cement ramp outside an exit. The railing gave way, sending young people tumbling over it and landing atop of each other in the area below the ramp, about 5 feet below.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy's premier and interior minister told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people, with the capacity of the room of the concert itself set at about 460.

On Sunday, Carrozza said a count of ticket stubs indicated that about 600 tickets were used for entry. It was unclear if others might have gotten in without having tickets checked by disco personnel.

One of the DJs, Marco Cecchini, told reporters he was sure that more than just one room of the disco was open, in addition to the one with the 460-person capacity.

"I've done 40-50 evenings in that place, and, sincerely, there weren't so many people. I'd estimate maybe 800-900 people, but all the rooms were open," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Cecchini, who is the son of one of the disco's managers, as saying.

Several parents whose children had gone to the concert on Saturday brought police cellphones to show videos of the disco's premises in case the visuals could help in the investigation, ANSA said.

Many parents and patrons have said the disco was jam-packed.

Carrozza said that on Saturday police had taken accounts from more than 80 people, and many more concertgoers were being questioned on Sunday.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in critical condition Sunday while the remaining patients were either already discharged or about to be discharged after their condition improved, doctors said.

After Interior Minister Matteo Salvini insisted that safety codes for public places be rigorously respected, police overnight shut down two discos in the south, near the port city of Salerno, for apparent overcrowding.</s>Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy

ROME (AP) — Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy.</s>ROME — Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said Sunday they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses following accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, triggering the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

It wasn't known if the can found was the one whose spray apparently set off the stampede about 1 a.m. Saturday in a crowd awaiting a rapper's performance in the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) disco in Corinaldo, a small town in the Marche region of east-central Italy, the Carabiniere paramilitary police commander of Ancona province, Col. Cristian Carrozza, told reporters.

He also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teens, all juveniles, and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, died in the crush of fleeing concertgoers who toppled over a railing atop a cement ramp outside an exit. The railing gave way, sending young people tumbling over it and landing atop of each other in the area below the ramp, about 5 feet below.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy's premier and interior minister told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people, with the capacity of the room of the concert itself set at about 460.

On Sunday, Carrozza said a count of ticket stubs indicated that about 600 tickets were used for entry. It was unclear if others might have gotten in without having tickets checked by disco personnel.

One of the DJs, Marco Cecchini, told reporters he was sure that more than just one room of the disco was open, in addition to the one with the 460-person capacity.

"I've done 40-50 evenings in that place, and, sincerely, there weren't so many people. I'd estimate maybe 800-900 people, but all the rooms were open," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Cecchini, who is the son of one of the disco's managers, as saying.

Several parents whose children had gone to the concert on Saturday brought police cellphones to show videos of the disco's premises in case the visuals could help in the investigation, ANSA said.

Many parents and patrons have said the disco was jam-packed.

Carrozza said that on Saturday police had taken accounts from more than 80 people, and many more concertgoers were being questioned on Sunday.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in critical condition Sunday while the remaining patients were either already discharged or about to be discharged after their condition improved, doctors said.

After Interior Minister Matteo Salvini insisted that safety codes for public places be rigorously respected, police overnight shut down two discos in the south, near the port city of Salerno, for apparent overcrowding.</s>Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy

ROME (AP) — Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy.</s>Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy

ROME (AP) — Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy.</s>Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy

ROME (AP) — Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy.</s>Six people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a nightclub on Italy's Adriatic coast Saturday, authorities said.

An Italian fire brigades official told NBC News that it is believed the stampede was the result of a panic sparked by someone using pepper spray at the venue in the town of Corinaldo. Some 800 people were at the event.

A police official said a popular Italian rapper, Sfera Ebbasta, was performing at the Lanterna Azzurra nightclub Saturday night.

The dead included three girls, two boys and a woman who had accompanied her daughter to the venue, police said. At least 12 people were in serious condition, police said, while another 40 sustained less serious injuries.

Firefighters gave first aid to survivors, stretched out on the road outside the club, in the aftermath.

A teenager told the ANSA news agency that at least one of the emergency exits was locked when he tried to flee.

Ancona Firefighters Cmdr. Dino Poggiali told Italian media that it was too early to know if any safety violations at the club played a role in the incident but an investigation will be conducted.

The bodies of the trampled victims were all found near a low wall inside the disco, he added.

"It was a mess. The bouncers were getting the persons out," an unidentified witness told RAI state radio. "I went out the main door. People fell, one after the other, on top of each other. Absurd."

Another witness told RAI they smelled something acidic inside the club moments before running out. Police said the case is "complex" and it's unclear what, if any, substance was sprayed.

Performer Sfera Ebbasta wrote on Twitter that he was "deeply pained" by the tragedy, thanked rescuers and offered his "affection and support" to the families of the dead and the injured. Out of respect to them, he cancelled some promotional appearances.

The rapper added he wanted everyone to "to stop and think how dangerous and stupid it is to use pepper spray in a discotheque."

Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted that a moment of silence would be held Saturday at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome to honor those who died. "One can't die this way," he said, adding that those responsible for the incident will be held accountable.

The country's head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, demanded "full light be shone on what happened, ascertaining any responsibility and negligence."

"Citizens have the right to safety wherever they are, in workplaces as well as places of entertainment," Mattarella said in a statement. "Safety must be assured with special commitment in places where crowds gather, through rigorous inspection and checks. One cannot die this way."

At the Vatican, Pope Francis bowed his head in silent prayer after he told some 30,000 pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square that he was praying "for the young people and the mamma" as well as for the many injured.

Italian high schools are usually open on Saturdays, but schools were closed this weekend for the Dec. 8 national holiday of the Immaculate Conception. That could have made it more likely that young teenagers were at the disco.</s>Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy

ROME (AP) — Italy's ANSA news agency: 6 dead and more than 100 injured in a stampede at a night club in central Italy.
Six people are killed and dozens more injured in a human stampede as frantic concertgoers try to exit a packed Lanterna Azzurra club in Corinaldo in Ancona Province, Marche, Italy, after pepper spray is reportedly fired inside the club.