17 killed in stampede after brawl at crowded Caracas club

CARACAS, Venezuela - At least 17 people were killed in a stampede at a nightclub in capital Caracas on Saturday morning after a tear gas bomb was detonated during a brawl at a graduation celebration, a government official said.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the incident at the "Los Cotorros" club in the middle-class neighborhood of El Paraiso left eight minors dead and five injured. Eight people were detained, including two teens believed responsible for setting off the canister.

Family members wept and embraced one another after identifying the remains of their loved ones at a nearby hospital. Outside the club, several mismatched shoes, including a sandal with a puckered red lip decoration, lay on the sidewalk.