Italian nightclub stampede kills 6

Six people died in a stampede at a nightclub near Ancona in central Italy after panic erupted in the early hours of Saturday morning, firefighters said.

"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.

Local reports said around 1,000 people were in the Blue Lantern club in the town of Corinaldo on the Adriatic coast for a performance by Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta.

The accident happened around 1:00 am (0000 GMT).

"We were dancing and waiting for the concert to start when we smelt this pungent odour," a 16-year-old boy who was taken to the hospital told the media.

"We ran to one of the emergency exits but we found it blocked, the bouncers told us to go back."

(With inputs from agencies.)