10 university students die in Peru restaurant fire

Neighbours tried to put out a fire at a restaurant in Huancane, Peru, that claimed the lives of 10 university students. Photo / Peruvian National Police, AFP

Ten university students died and three were injured in a restaurant fire in southeastern Peru as they gathered for a birthday celebration, police said today.

The fire broke out on Friday in Huancane city in the Andean region of Puno near the Bolivian border. The victims, aged between 17 and 23, were from a teacher training college.

“With the arrival of forensic experts from the police and prosecutor’s office, 10 bodies were found,” a local police officer told AFP.

The students were trapped on the second floor of the wood-and-brick building of the Calma Tripa restaurant when they were engulfed by flames.

Neighbours tried to douse the blaze with fire extinguishers and buckets of water, local media reported. Huancane Mayor Valerio Tapia told state news agency Andina that the city of 20,000 does not have a fire department.

Firefighters from the neighbouring town of Juliaca arrived after an hour to control the fire.

A local source, who requested anonymity to comment on the matter, told AFP an exploding gas tank may have caused the restaurant fire.

Such fires are common in outlying areas of Peru, where storage of flammable materials often flouts safety regulations.

– Agence France-Presse