Six people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a nightclub on Italy's Adriatic coast Saturday, authorities said.

An Italian fire brigades official told NBC News that it is believed the stampede was the result of a panic sparked by someone using pepper spray at the venue in the town of Corinaldo. Some 800 people were at the event.

A police official said a popular Italian rapper, Sfera Ebbasta, was performing at the Lanterna Azzurra nightclub Saturday night.

The dead included three girls, two boys and a woman who had accompanied her daughter to the venue, police said. At least 12 people were in serious condition, police said, while another 40 sustained less serious injuries.

Firefighters gave first aid to survivors, stretched out on the road outside the club, in the aftermath.

A teenager told the ANSA news agency that at least one of the emergency exits was locked when he tried to flee.

Ancona Firefighters Cmdr. Dino Poggiali told Italian media that it was too early to know if any safety violations at the club played a role in the incident but an investigation will be conducted.

The bodies of the trampled victims were all found near a low wall inside the disco, he added.

"It was a mess. The bouncers were getting the persons out," an unidentified witness told RAI state radio. "I went out the main door. People fell, one after the other, on top of each other. Absurd."

Another witness told RAI they smelled something acidic inside the club moments before running out. Police said the case is "complex" and it's unclear what, if any, substance was sprayed.

Performer Sfera Ebbasta wrote on Twitter that he was "deeply pained" by the tragedy, thanked rescuers and offered his "affection and support" to the families of the dead and the injured. Out of respect to them, he cancelled some promotional appearances.

The rapper added he wanted everyone to "to stop and think how dangerous and stupid it is to use pepper spray in a discotheque."

Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted that a moment of silence would be held Saturday at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome to honor those who died. "One can't die this way," he said, adding that those responsible for the incident will be held accountable.

The country's head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, demanded "full light be shone on what happened, ascertaining any responsibility and negligence."

"Citizens have the right to safety wherever they are, in workplaces as well as places of entertainment," Mattarella said in a statement. "Safety must be assured with special commitment in places where crowds gather, through rigorous inspection and checks. One cannot die this way."

At the Vatican, Pope Francis bowed his head in silent prayer after he told some 30,000 pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square that he was praying "for the young people and the mamma" as well as for the many injured.

Italian high schools are usually open on Saturdays, but schools were closed this weekend for the Dec. 8 national holiday of the Immaculate Conception. That could have made it more likely that young teenagers were at the disco. </s> ROME — Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said Sunday they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses Sunday following accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, triggering the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

It wasn’t known if the can found was the one whose spray apparently set off the stampede about 1 a.m. Saturday in a crowd awaiting a rapper’s performance in the Lanterna Azzurra disco in Corinaldo, a small town in east-central Italy, police said.

A police official also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teens and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert died in the crush of fleeing concertgoers who toppled over a railing atop a cement ramp outside an exit.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in critical condition Sunday, doctors said.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy’s premier and interior minister told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people. </s> Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses yesterday following accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, triggering the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses yesterday following accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, triggering the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

It wasn't known if the can found was the one whose spray apparently set off the stampede at about 1am Saturday in a crowd awaiting a rapper's performance in the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) disco in Corinaldo, a small town in the Marche region of east-central Italy, the Carabiniere paramilitary police commander of Ancona province, Colonel Cristian Carrozza, told reporters.

He also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teens, all juveniles, and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, died in the crush of fleeing concertgoers who toppled over a railing atop a cement ramp outside an exit. The railing gave way, sending young people tumbling over it and landing atop of each other in the area below the ramp, about 1.5 meters below.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people, with the capacity of the room of the concert itself set at about 460.

Yesterday, Col Carrozza said a count of ticket stubs indicated about 600 tickets were used for entry. It was unclear if others might have gotten in without having tickets checked by disco personnel.

One of the DJs, Marco Cecchini, told reporters he was sure that more than just one room of the disco was open, in addition to the one with the 460-person capacity.

"I've done 40-50 evenings in that place, and, sincerely, there weren't so many people. I'd estimate maybe 800-900 people, but all the rooms were open," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Mr Cecchini, who is the son of one of the disco's managers, as saying.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in critical condition yesterday while the remaining patients were either already discharged or about to be discharged after their condition improved. </s> omersukrugoksu/iStock(ROME) — Six people are dead and at least 120 people are injured after being trampled by a panicked crowd running out of an Italian disco.

The stampede occurred at the Lanterna Azzurra in Madonna del Piano di Corinaldo, near Ancona — a city on the Adriatic coast, east of Florence — during a concert for Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta.

Witnesses said that panic ensued when an acrid smell started permeating the disco between midnight and 1 a.m. local time, according to Italian news agencies. Some compared it to mace or pepper spray, though police officials said they were not ready to confirm those details.

The six people who died included five minors and an adult. The adult, identified only as Eleonora, had gone to the concert with her daughter, who survived, according to Italian news agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA), the nation’s largest wire service.

All six who died were crushed by others who had fallen five feet off a walkway outside of one of the disco’s emergency exits, Ancona Police Chief Oreste Capocasa told ABC News.

Capocasa said that the railings on the walkway collapsed, causing concertgoers to fall.

Capocasa said that firefighters and magistrates were investigating whether there was overcrowding. The disco could only fit 870 people but 1,400 tickets to the concert were sold, he said.

He said that authorities are still trying to piece together the sequence of events, and whether the spraying of some sort of substance sparked the panic.

“We could not because after such a tragic event, witnesses weren’t in a fit state to remember well what happened,” he said. “They have not confirmed that this happened but many have confirmed that something like that happened.”

Those who were injured were taken to one of three hospitals in the area. Of the 120 injured, 12 remain in serious condition and seven are fighting for their lives, ANSA reported.

Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini called the incident a “mix of irresponsibility and avidity.”

Two investigations have now been opened: one to determine who sprayed the pepper-like substance and another for overcapacity at the disco. </s> ROME: - Six people were killed and about 60 people were hospitalised after stampede at a rap concert in a nightclub near the city of Ancona in eastern Italy, a fire department spokesperson told Sputnik on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the Repubblica newspaper reported that six people had been killed and around 120 injured in the incident. “Our work on the scene was completed, we helped the victims to leave the building. Death toll at the moment is six. Now there are law enforcement officers who find out the causes of the incident. We were told that about 60 people had been taken to hospitals,” the spokesperson said.–Sputnik

He repeated an earlier reported version of the incident, according to which the panic and stampede at the concert had been triggered by someone using pepper spray during the event.

Earlier, local police chief Oreste Capocasa said that about 35 people had been injured in the incident, including 12 in serious condition. Lives of some of those injured were in danger, he added. </s> A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing the stampede at a nightclub in the town of Corinaldo, near Ancona in central Italy, this weekend in which six people were killed.

Media reports said the suspected use of a pepper spray-like substance sparked panic during the concert.

"The cause may have been the dispersal of a stinging substance, the young people fled and trampled over each other. Sadly, six people died and dozens are injured," the fire service said in a statement on Twitter.

As the crowd panicked, people ran for the three emergency exits, one of which led to a small bridge and the car park, according to a preliminary investigation.

The force of the fleeing crowd made a railing collapse and dozens of people fell, crushing those below to death.

The 15-year-old is suspected of involuntary manslaughter and causing bodily harm, youth crime court prosecutor Giovanna Leboroni said at a press conference in Ancona.

Ancona Chief Prosecutor Monica Garulli said seven others are also under investigation: four owners of the venue and three businesspeople who ran it.

Investigators are also looking into whether the club sold more tickets to the event than the venue could hold.

Three witnesses said that the suspect, who has not been named by police, had released pepper spray. Another witness reportedly claimed that the spray was used to disable a person and steal their gold chain.

Police have not ruled out that the fumes came from another source, noting that a large number of clubbers suffered ill effects. However, a can of pepper spray was found in the club.

Gangs have used pepper spray to steal from people at public events in Italy about 20 times in the past two years.

In June last year one person was killed and 1,526 injured when a gang using pepper spray caused panic among crowds watching a football match on a large screen in Turin.

And yesterday, teenagers hospitalised classmates by using pepper spray in schools in two separate, apparently 'copycat' incidents.

33 students from a school in Pavia were taken to hospital yesterday, local media reports, after pepper spray or a similar substance was used, and another five were hospitalised in Cremona when a 14-year-old girl sprayed classmates in the gym’s changing room.

READ ALSO: Two dead, several injured in petrol station explosion near Rome </s> Transcript for 2 criminal investigations after 6 killed during concert in Italy

And news tonight about the deadly stampede in Italy. Police launching two criminal investigations into the chaos. Two people died. Authorities believe the club was overcrowded. The crush of people likely ignited by somebody using pepper spray. Here's Julia Macfarlane. Reporter: This was the moment the horror unfolded. Investigators are reviewing this bystander's footage of the accident at that Italian nightclub late Friday. New details tonight. Italian police tell ABC news two parallel criminal investigations are now under way. One, the suspected use of an irritant spray, such as mace or pepper spray, that is believed to have started the stampede. The other, violations of the nightclub's occupancy restrictions. The venue was only supposed to hold around 800 people. That night, almost 1,400 tickets had been sold for the event. However, it's not clear how many people were in attendance. Ticket sales are disorganized in Italy. Events are often oversold. It's one theory that investigators are looking into, as footage circulates of the disco's walkway, crumbling under the weight of so many people rushing out all at once. Police haven't confirmed reports in Italian media that a minor is suspected of spraying that irritant substance, sparking the panic, but they have told ABC news that a statement will be released tomorrow. Tom? </s> ROME — Italian police investigating a deadly nightclub stampede said Sunday they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses after accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, causing the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

It wasn’t known whether the can found was the one that apparently set off the stampede about 1 a.m. Saturday in a crowd awaiting a rapper’s performance in the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) disco in the small town of Corinaldo, said the Carabiniere paramilitary police commander of Ancona province, Col. Cristian Carrozza.

He also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teenagers, all juveniles, and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, died in the crush of fleeing concertgoers who toppled over a railing atop a cement ramp outside an exit. The railing gave way, sending young people tumbling over it and landing on top of each other in the area below the ramp, about 1.5 feet below.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy’s premier and interior minister told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people, with the capacity of the room of the concert itself set at about 460.

On Sunday, Carrozza said a count of ticket stubs indicated that about 600 tickets were used for entry. It was unclear if others might have gotten in without having tickets checked by club personnel.

One of the DJs, Marco Cecchini, said he was sure that more than just one room of the disco was open, in addition to the one with the 460-person capacity.

“I’ve done 40-50 evenings in that place, and, sincerely, there weren’t so many people. I’d estimate maybe 800-900 people, but all the rooms were open,” the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Cecchini, who is the son of one of the disco’s managers, as saying.

Several parents whose children had gone to the concert Saturday brought cell phones to police to show videos of the disco’s premises in case the visuals could help in the investigation, ANSA said.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in critical condition Sunday, while the remaining patients were either already discharged or about to be discharged after their condition improved, doctors said.

After Interior Minister Matteo Salvini insisted that safety codes for public places be rigorously respected, police overnight shut down two discos in the south, near the port city of Salerno, for apparent overcrowding.

Frances D’Emilio is an Associated Press writer. </s> ROME — Italian police investigating a deadly disco stampede said Sunday they found a pepper spray can and were questioning dozens of witnesses following accounts by concertgoers that a teenage boy had sprayed an irritating substance, triggering the mad rush by the crowd to flee.

It wasn't known if the can found was the one whose spray apparently set off the stampede about 1 a.m. Saturday in a crowd awaiting a rapper's performance in the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) disco in Corinaldo, a small town in the Marche region of east-central Italy, the Carabiniere paramilitary police commander of Ancona province, Col. Cristian Carrozza, told reporters.

He also declined to confirm Italian media reports that a 16-year-old boy had been identified as the sprayer and would be questioned by juvenile court officials.

Five teens, all juveniles, and a woman who had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, died in the crush of fleeing concertgoers who toppled over a railing atop a cement ramp outside an exit. The railing gave way, sending young people tumbling over it and landing atop of each other in the area below the ramp, about 5 feet below.

On Saturday, prosecutors and Italy's premier and interior minister told reporters that nearly 1,400 tickets had been sold, while the disco could safely hold only 870 people, with the capacity of the room of the concert itself set at about 460.

On Sunday, Carrozza said a count of ticket stubs indicated that about 600 tickets were used for entry. It was unclear if others might have gotten in without having tickets checked by disco personnel.

One of the DJs, Marco Cecchini, told reporters he was sure that more than just one room of the disco was open, in addition to the one with the 460-person capacity.

"I've done 40-50 evenings in that place, and, sincerely, there weren't so many people. I'd estimate maybe 800-900 people, but all the rooms were open," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Cecchini, who is the son of one of the disco's managers, as saying.

Several parents whose children had gone to the concert on Saturday brought police cellphones to show videos of the disco's premises in case the visuals could help in the investigation, ANSA said.

Many parents and patrons have said the disco was jam-packed.

Carrozza said that on Saturday police had taken accounts from more than 80 people, and many more concertgoers were being questioned on Sunday.

Seven of the more than 50 people injured in the stampede remained in critical condition Sunday while the remaining patients were either already discharged or about to be discharged after their condition improved, doctors said.

After Interior Minister Matteo Salvini insisted that safety codes for public places be rigorously respected, police overnight shut down two discos in the south, near the port city of Salerno, for apparent overcrowding.
Six people are killed and dozens more injured in a human stampede as frantic concertgoers try to exit a packed Lanterna Azzurra club in Corinaldo in Ancona Province, Marche, Italy, after pepper spray is reportedly fired inside the club.