Laura Gamba and Vakkas Dogantekin
24 August 2020•Update: 24 August 2020
BOGOTA, Colombia
Some 15 partygoers in Peru tested positive for coronavirus after a deadly stampede in a secretly operating nightclub.
At least 13 people killed on Saturday when a police raid caused a stampede inside a nightclub in Lima, Peru's capital.
With 23 people arrested, 15 of them tested positive for coronavirus and would be quarantined, Claudio Ramirez, a Health Ministry official, told reporters on Sunday.
The Interior Ministry reported that police arrived at the Thomas Restobar in Lima, where some 120 people who, ignoring confinement measures, had gathered for a party.
People tried to escape in a hurry through the only door on the second floor, causing a stampede in the cramped space, officials said. After the stampede, the police had to force the door open.
In an official statement, the ministry reported that the police did not use "any type of weapon or tear gas to clear the premises."
It confirmed that 23 people had been detained so far and that the authorities launched an investigation to identify the owners of the nightclub and those who organized the event.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra said he was sorry for the relatives of the victims but "also anger and indignation with the business people who organized this event."
Family and social gatherings have been banned in Peru, lockdowns have been extended and there is a nationwide curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. (0300-0900GMT), amid a new spike in cases of the coronavirus that has caused 27,245 deaths in the country, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.
