Madrid Halloween party crush kills three women

It was supposed to be gigantic Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ themed party to celebrate Halloween in the Spanish capital.

But the fun turned to tragedy when three young women were killed in a stampede as partygoers attempted to leave the Madrid Arena.

Witnesses say the panic began after a flare was thrown into the crowd. Others described a scene of chaos, with lots of screaming and some people fainting.

“There was a staircase. Then all of a sudden there was a rush of people and some of them stumbled; and there was a crush,” described one man who attended the party.

Another man said: “They did not say anything about the stampede inside the club. There was a moment when the music stopped, but nothing else. They didn’t announce that something had happened.”

A third man who was inside the arena was also unaware of the tragedy: “We didn’t notice anything. The party continued as normal and when the music stopped, people left at around 6.00 am which is the normal thing for a party.”

Local media said the three victims were aged between 18 and 25.

Two other woman are in a critical condition in hospital.

An investigation has begun to determine whether the 12,000 capacity venue was overcrowded.

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