They panicked when the police arrived: at least 13 people were killed in a disco in Peru when the police broke up an illegal celebration on Sunday night. The approximately 120 participants tried to leave the bar in the north of the capital Lima because of the police operation and overrun themselves, said the Interior Ministry. The celebration was canceled because it violated the curfew imposed due to the corona crisis.
According to local residents and party-goers in a report on radio station RPP, the police used tear gas to evacuate the place. The Interior Ministry denies that.
Authorities said six other people were injured, including three police officers who tried to rescue trapped people from the nightclub. Police arrested 23 people in connection with the incident. The victims are said to be between 20 and 30 years old.
South America continues to be a corona hotspot
In Peru, there is currently a Sunday curfew and a ban on gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The South American country has so far reported more than 27,000 corona deaths and 585,000 confirmed infections. Up until the pandemic, Peru, with its dynamic growth, was considered an economic model country in the region. The state then became the epitome of the emerging countries that couldn't get the coronavirus under control - despite tough emergency rules. The Andean country with its 32 million recently reported more than 9,000 new infections every day.
South America is considered a Corona hotspot anyway. More than 3.5 million cases have now been confirmed in Brazil. Colombia also reports more than 10,000 new infections every day. The virus is also continuing to spread in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, only Uruguay is considered a corona model country (read a detailed analysis of the situation in Uruguay here).
Icon: The mirrorbam / AFP