7 Die, 60 Hurt in Nightclub Stampede

Two canisters believed to contain pepper gas were set off inside a crowded Lisbon nightclub just as the lights were cut, causing a panicked stampede by hundreds of people that left seven dead. At least 60 others were treated at a hospital for bruises and breathing difficulties after the crush to escape the fumes. No one claimed responsibility for what appeared to be a planned attack, and police opened an investigation. The attack on the Luanda club came about 4:30 a.m. The Institute for Legal Medicine, where the bodies were taken for autopsies, said the victims appeared to have been crushed, according to Portuguese state television. Authorities did not immediately specify what sort of gas was used, but police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared to be pepper gas. Authorities also believe that the power was cut deliberately. The club is named for the capital of the African nation of Angola. At least 500 people, mostly Africans, were inside at the time of the attack, witnesses said.