SEOUL: Two people died and more than 17 sustained injuries after an internal balcony collapsed at a nightclub in the South Korean city of Gwangju on early Saturday, Korean officials said.
Yonhap news agency reported that several athletes at the World Swimming Championships sustained slight injuries.
They were from the US, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Italy and Brazil.
Two South Koreans were taken to hospital in a serious condition and later died, Yonhap reported.
The deceased were 38 and 27, and were not competitors at the championships.
A balcony and staircase inside the Coyote Ugly nightclub caved in at 02:29 am on Saturday while about 370 people were inside.
A male diver and a female water polo player from the United States team were slightly hurt.
“This is an awful tragedy,” said Christopher Ramsey, head of USA Water Polo.
Comment