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Peru club stampede: At least 13 people die at illegal nightclub

5 months ago
2 Min Read

Police were called to the Thomas Restobar in the Los Olivos district of Peru’s capital on Saturday evening to put an end to an illegal party attended by more than 120 people.

Social distancing measures are mandatory in Peru, large social gatherings are banned, and there is a nationwide 22-hour curfew in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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Peru was one of the first nations in the Americas to take strict preventive measures against coronaviruses, but is now one of the hardest-hit countries in Latin America, with more than 576,000 cases, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. More than 27,000 have died from the virus to date, JHU reports.

In an official statement, the Interior Ministry said the police had not used “any type of weapon or tear gas to clean the premises.” When people started to flee the 2nd floor room trying to get away from the police, they were run over on the stairs.

Police said in a statement they have opened an investigation to identify the owners of the nightclub and those responsible for the event. Police said 23 people were arrested.

“The Interior Ministry deeply regrets the deaths of 13 people as a result of the criminal irresponsibility of an unscrupulous business owner,” the statement said.

Jimena de la Quintana reported from Lima, Daniel Silva Fernandez reported from Miami


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