Blaze in Lima disco kills at least 23 'after fire stunt'

A fire at a disco in a Peruvian shopping mall has left at least 23 people dead.

Radio reports in Lima say an undetermined number of people have also been injured.

Radioprogramas, Peru's leading radio station, cited witnesses claiming the fire began after a bartender in the night club performed a stunt with fire and accidentally ignited curtains and a wooden structure nearby.

As the club filled with smoke, hundreds of people tried to flee and created a stampede, according to the radio station.

Radioprogramas reported that at least 23 people were killed. It was unclear how many were injured.

Firefighters and police officers at the scene refused to confirm the casualty toll or the cause of the blaze. The fire appeared to have been extinguished.

Authorities had closed off the entire Jockey Plaza shopping mall where the club was located, a sprawling complex in the Surco district of Lima.

Cable news station Channel N broadcast footage of dozens of people from the disco milling in a smoke-clogged area outside the night club shortly after the fire.