City
Epaper

S.Korea nightclub wall collapse: 2 killed, many injured

By IANS | Updated: July 27, 2019 11:45 IST

Two persons were killed and dozens injured, including athletes participating in the ongoing World Aquatic Championships, following a wall collapse at a popular South Korean nightclub on Saturday, officials said.

Open in App

Nine of the injured are foreign athletes comprising four from the US, two from New Zealand, one from the Netherlands, an Italian and a Brazilian, although none of them received any serious injuries in the incident in Gwangju city, fire officials said.

While the two killed were identified as South Koreans, most of the victims received minor injuries, except for 17 who suffered major ones,

"This is an awful tragedy... Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families," US Water Polo head, Christopher Ramsey said.

The internal balcony, situated at a height of 2.5 meters (8 feet) from the main dance floor, collapsed at around 2.30 a.m. It was occupied by around 100 people at the time, Efe news reported.

Six of the injured foreign athletes were women, and all except the Brazilian are water polo players. Among the other non-athlete foreigners in the injured list are two Uzbek men.

Primary investigations suggest that the collapse occurred due to the structure bearing too much weight.

New Zealand men's water polo captain Matt Small said, "We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five or six metres and everyone started rushing out of the club after that."

It was "business as usual and then it literally collapsed beneath our feet", he added.

"All Australian players are safe and escaped without injury," the BBC quoted a statement from Water Polo Australia as saying.

Gwangju, located some 330 km from Seoul, is currently hosting the FINA World Championships 2019, which kicked off on July 12 and are set to conclude on Sunday.

"FINA deeply regrets the situation and sends its best wishes to any victims of this accident," a statement from the world swimming body said.

Authorities said the club had been renovated recently without official authorization and investigation is underway.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: usFinaNew ZealandGwangjuaustralia
Open in App

Related Stories

MumbaiEx-Australian Minister John Robb Collapses at PM Narendra Modi’s Mumbai Event

NationalFlorida Plane Crash: 2 Killed After Small Aircraft Crashes in Coral Springs Lake (Watch Video)

EntertainmentBigg Boss Fame Sana Raees Khan Takes a Much-Needed Break in New Zealand; Says Jumping Out of a Plane at 15,000 ft Helped Me Recharge

CricketAustralia and Pakistan Qualify for Hong Kong Sixes 2025 Semis

InternationalFung Wong Live Tracker Map: Tropical Storm Triggers Flash Floods Across Guam; Check Real-Time Status Here

International Realted Stories

InternationalSouth Korea's Labour minister voices need to pass bill to raise retirement age by year-end

InternationalFamilies blame Pakistani forces as new disappearance cases emerge in Balochistan

InternationalHRW urges Nepal interim govt to probe killings, arson linked to Gen Z protests

InternationalBangladesh Supreme Court reinstates non-partisan caretaker government system

International"350% tariff to settle that war": Trump claims he threatened India and Pakistan to stop conflict