A fire swept through a crowded Buenos Aires nightclub during a rock concert, killing at least 174 people and injuring more than 410 as young concertgoers scrambled for the exits, officials said today.

At least 149 people were reported to have been killed and more than 300 injured after fire tore through a crowded Buenos Aires nightclub during a rock concert early today.

An exploding gas canister in a food department may have fuelled a fire that killed up to 340 people in a crowded supermarket in Paraguay’s worst disaster in more than half a century.