At least 24 people have died in a fire at a nightclub in Peru.
Radio reports in Lima say an undetermined number of people have also been injured.
Police said the fire was started by a fire juggler tossing flaming batons during a party to celebrate the club's second month open to the public. As the club filled with smoke, hundreds of people tried to flee and created a stampede.
There were about 1,000 revellers in the club at the time and it is feared the number of casualties could rise.
As the club filled with smoke, hundreds of people tried to flee and created a stampede, according to the radio station.
Firefighters and police officers at the scene refused to confirm the casualty toll or the cause of the blaze. The fire appeared to have been extinguished.
Authorities had closed off the entire Jockey Plaza shopping mall where the club was located, a sprawling complex in the Surco district of Lima.
Cable news station Channel N broadcast footage of dozens of people from the disco milling in a smoke-clogged area outside the night club shortly after the fire.
AFP