On the morning of Saturday December 8th, a stampede broke out in an Italian nightclub, killing six and injuring dozens. Hundreds had been waiting to see the Italian rapper, Sfera Ebbasta, when someone reportedly sprayed a substance similar to pepper spray throughout the club. The substance caused a stampede form as people pushed to get out of the club, a metal fence outside of the club crashing into and injuring multiple people.

Out of the six that were killed, five were teenagers aged 14-16, and the sixth was a mother, 39, who come with her daughter to the concert. 100 others were sent to the nearest hospital, 35 having to stay overnight. Out of the 35, there were seven whose conditions were life-threatening and five others who were left in serious condition.

The Italian President, Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister all issued statements of regret. Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini held a moment of silence at a rally and later tweeted out “You cannot die like this at 15. Thoughts and prayers for the six dead tonight in Marche. I hope [those] who are seriously injured in the hospital get well. And a commitment: find those responsible.”

As of December 10th, eight people are being investigated in connection of the stampede, including one minor. Although it was originally established that the initial cause of the stampede was the irritant spray, police have another lead. They are looking into whether or not the spray was an attempt to mask thefts during the concert, which would not be the first time that this has occured in Italy.

Juniors Lindsay Fishman commented on her feelings about the concert. She felt upset that people who just wanted to go to a concert ended up losing their lives. Poulin related this to another incident, the Manchester bombings. “It reminds me of the bombing in Manchester because people weren’t sure who did it and a lot of people were hurt. It was a group of people who were confined, there was a panic, and ultimately a lot of people lost their lives while trying to run for them.”

The investigation continues but police hope to soon known what happened, and who to convict.