At least 18 people were killed following clashes between two groups on Monday evening in a nightclub that caught fire in Sorong, a town in West Papua, Indonesia, police said on Tuesday.
One victim was stabbed and 17 others died in the Double O nightclub fire that broke out during the violence, authorities said.
“We found 17 bodies at the Double O, all on the second floor. We evacuated the bodies to Selebe Solu Hospital,” said Sorong Police Health Division Chief Edward Panjaitan.
The fire started from the first floor
“The club burned down from the first floor. We tried to evacuate as many people as possible, but after firefighters put out the fire this morning, we found bodies there,” Sorong Police Chief Ary Nyoto Setiawan said in a statement.
“The clash erupted Monday evening at 11 p.m. (1300 GMT). This is a conflict that has dragged on since a clash on Saturday,” the police chief said.
Footage published in local media showed a building blackened by fire behind a line of police and burnt-out cars.