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Australian athletes shaken after fatal balcony collapse in South Korea

The Australian women's water polo team were celebrating their world championship bronze medal win when the balcony collapsed.

Australian water polo team unharmed in fatal nightclub balcony collapse in Gwangju, South Korea.
Australian water polo team unharmed in fatal nightclub balcony collapse in Gwangju, South Korea. Source: AAP

Water Polo Australia said its players are safe and unhurt after being caught up in a balcony collapse at a nightclub in South Korea.  

“All Australian players are safe and uninjured," the organisation said in a statement.

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A general view of damage inside of the Coyote Ugly nightclub in Gwangju, South Korea.

AAP

 

An upper floor of a nightclub collapsed on top of dancing revelers in South Korea, killing two South Koreans and injuring several foreign athletes competing at the World Aquatics Championships, rescue officials and witnesses said.

The floor gave way at the club in the city of Gwangju at about 2 a.m. (3am AEST Saturday), pinning people underneath, a Gwangju Fire Department official said, adding that at least 17 people were injured.

The official did not give an exact number for how many athletes were among the injured.

“We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five to six meters and everyone started rushing out of the club after that,” said New Zealand men’s water polo team captain Matt Small.

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Two people are dead and 17 others injured after a balcony collapse in a South Korean nightclub, Yonhap news agency reports.

AAP


2 min read

Published

Updated

Presented by Yang J. Joo

Source: SBS News, Reuters



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