Three young women died at a club in Budapest late Saturday night after panic broke out for yet unknown reasons, police told MTI early Sunday morning.
The three women died after the crowd stampeded at West Balkan, a club close to Nyugati railway station in the city centre. Police dismissed earlier press reports that the women were stabbed and that there was a brawl in the club.
Beside the three women, no other injuries were reported.
The National Rescue Service sent six paramedic units to the scene after receiving calls that several people there were unconscious, a spokesman for the service said. The first unit arrived five minutes later to find the three women near the entrance to the club, said Pal Gyorfi. The paramedics tried to revive the victims for more than half an hour.
The cause of death will be determined after a forensic examination, he added.
Young people who came out of the club told MTI's correspondent at the scene that the music had suddenly stopped and the lights were turned on, after which everybody started running for the exit, not even stopping at the coat check.
Police closed off the club and the surrounding area after the tragedy. Young people who had come from the club waited in and around Nyugati Station but were told they could not retrieve valuables left behind until a criminal investigation was completed.
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At a press conference at the scene, a police spokesperson said the police were investigating whether the visitors to the club had exceeded the legal capacity and whether the exits had been secured.
Prime minister's spokesman Peter Szijjarto expressed the condolences of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the government to the families of the three women who died in the tragedy. The prime minister has asked Interior Minister Sandor Pinter to take measures to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future, he added.
Late on Sunday evening, the prime minister and his wife placed a candle at the site of the tragedy. Orban expressed his deepest sympathies to the families of the young women.
He stressed the importance of finding out exactly what happened, learning from the tragedy and taking necessary measures.
Interior Minister Sandor Pinter heard reports on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy from the police, the disaster management authority and the fire department, the ministry said late Sunday. The minister also called for an immediate review of the way entertainment venues are operated and regulated.
What is known about the tragedy at present points to a serious breach of regulations, the ministry said.
The Ministry of the Interior offers it sincerest condolences to the families of those who died in the tragedy, the statement said.
Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos also expressed his sympathies to the families of the young women.
Zsofia Hassay, mayor of District 6, where the club is located, said at a press conference on Sunday that the manager of West Balkan had made an unpardonable error when failing to get a permit for the event on Saturday evening at least five days prior. Neither the district council nor the police had any knowledge of the event, she added.
The club is registered to host events with no more than 300 people until 10 in the evening, Hassay said.
West Balkan Kft, which operates the club, told MTI late Sunday that it had not organised the event but had rented out the club to Noise Night Life for a fixed price. West Balkan Kft was not involved with the sale of tickets for the event and Noise Night Life provided its own staff and equipment, it said.
West Balkan Kft's management was shocked to hear of the tragedy and expressed their condolences to the families and friends of those who died.
Noise Night Life said on its Facebook page earlier in the day that it took the tragedy in with "shock and consternation". Noise Night Life was not aware the venue did not have a permit for the event, the organiser said, adding that West Balkan provided its own gate security on Saturday evening as specifically requested by Noise Night Life in the rental contract.
Noise Night Life said it sold 2,881 wristbands for the event and close to 2,500 people were in the venue when panic broke out. Official capacity in the three-storey venue is more, it noted, citing a successful event held there last year with some 4,500 people.
Witnesses allege people rushed for the exits after somebody yelled "knifing", Noise Night Life said. The National Rescue Service and the police found no evidence of a stabbing nor did interviews with witnesses suggest otherwise, the organiser added.
Article by The All Hungary Media Group
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