LIMA, Peru
A bombing at a nightclub in northern Peru injured 33 people early Saturday, including three minors, as violence continues to plague a region increasingly gripped by crime, authorities said.
The explosion occurred in the pre-dawn hours at the Dali nightclub in Trujillo province, according to a statement from the local Emergency Operations Center. The area along Peru’s northern coast has seen a surge in violent crime in recent months.
At least five of the wounded were in serious condition, said Gerardo Florián Gómez, executive director of the Trujillo Health Network.
Some victims suffered amputations and shrapnel wounds and were undergoing surgery, he told reporters. Among the injured were three minors—a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos. Fiorella Mantilla, who was inside the club when the blast hit, told reporters she had glass embedded in her legs. “It sounded as if the sound system had suddenly been turned off,” she recalled.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, and authorities said a motive was not yet known. The attack underscores growing security concerns in Trujillo, a city that has become a flashpoint for organized crime and gang violence in recent years.
By James Kisoo
