Three women killed in Madrid Halloween party stampede

November 1, 2012 - 11:29 am | Category: World

Three women were crushed to death and another critically injured in a stampede at a Halloween party in Madrid during the early hours of Thursday.

The tragedy occurred around 4am as partygoers tried to leave the packed Madrid Arena through an exit after someone apparently threw a firework into the crowd.

One corridor became crammed with people, according to witnesses as people became crushed in a bottle neck with more crowds pushing from behind.

The victims were aged between 18 and 25 years old, according to local reports.

Police have launched an investigation to determine whether correct security measures were in place and whether the venue – which has a maximum capacity of 12,000 – was overcrowded.

Witnesses described the scene of terror during the special themed Halloween party called Thriller Music Park featuring well-known DJ Steve Aoki.