Two dead in Korean nightclub balcony collapse at world swim meet

Two people died and 16 were injured, including eight athletes taking part in swimming's world championship, after a balcony collapsed under weight of party-goers at a South Korean nightclub, local police said on Saturday.

balcony at Coyote Ugly club close to athletes' vill was a mangled wreck after it gave way and plummeted around five metres (16 feet) onto people below, sending terrified clubbers running to exit screaming.

"An internal balcony collapsed at a club in Gwangju, killing two," said Song Gi-ju, a detective with Gwangju Metropolitan Police ncy.

"We have a total of 16 injured and among m 10 are foreigners. Of 10, eight are athletes participating in championships." Song said two de were locals and t involved in swimming championships, ding that police were investigating possibility balcony may have been illegally constructed.

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eight injured athletes include three Americans, two New Zealanders, one Dutch, one Brazilian and one Italian. Police said earlier that among Americans was a male diver and a female polo player.

"A structure collapsed all of a sudden with people standing on it. Screams filled area with broken parts flying all over, said a 32-year-old who was injured in collapse, according to South Korea's Kukmin Ilbo.

" site of collapse was at centre of club where customers were most heavily located," said party-goer, surnamed Kim. A 38-year-old and a 27-year-old were rushed to hospital in grave condition but both died from ir injuries, according to local media.

world championships organising committee said eight athletes were treated for mir injuries and have returned to ir accommodation. Ar will have stitches on a leg wound Saturday.

"This is an awful trdy," said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo.

"Players from our men's and women's teams were celebrating women's world championship victory when collapse. Our hearts go out to victims of crash and ir families." Ramsey ded that all American water polo players were "safe".

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Australian water polo team were also present but escaped without injury. New Zealand men's captain told Rio Sport: "We were just dancing and n next minute we dropped five or six metres and everyone started rushing out of club after that.

"We, I guess, fell on top of hes of or people that were beneath us." Swimming's world body FINA said it would "activate all measures to ensure health care and assistance is provided whenever necessary".

"FINA deeply regrets situation and sends its best wishes to any victims of this accident," it ded. world championships end on Sunday.