Halloween party crush kills 3, injures 2 in Madrid

MADRID (AFP) - Partygoers stampeded at a huge Halloween event in Madrid before dawn on Thursday, creating a terrifying human crush that killed three young Spanish women and seriously hurt two others, Spanish authorities said.

Many young people were in tears as they battled against a human tide for the exit doors in a panic apparently sparked by people throwing a flare and firecrackers, according to police and witnesses.

Some of the doors to the Madrid Arena stadium, which has a capacity for up to 10,500 people, had been sealed, one witness at the Thriller Music Park party said.

The crush, apparently in a passageway in the stadium, killed three Spanish women aged between 18 and 20 and left another two women injured, police officials said.