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At least 19 people died in the "Double O" club
Photo: YANTI/AFP
At least 19 people died in violent clashes and a fire at a nightclub in Indonesia.
According to the police in the city of Sorong in the Indonesian province of West Papua, 18 people died in the fire.
Another person was stabbed.
Sorong Police Chief Ary Nyoto Setiawan said the clashes at the Double O club late Monday night were the result of a "prolonged conflict" that began on Saturday.
According to a police spokesman, members of different ethnic groups attacked each other with machetes, arrows and incendiary devices.
It is still being investigated what exactly triggered the violence and how the fire broke out.
The fire brigade was only able to extinguish the fire on Tuesday morning.
A burned-out car also lay in front of the smoke-blackened building.
Sorong is the largest city in West Papua province and an important port city.
According to the AFP news agency, many police officers were on the streets on Tuesday to prevent further violence.
According to the spokesman, the regional police of West Papua also contacted religious and tribal leaders.
bam/AFP
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