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At least 19 dead after clash, fire at club in Sorong
The fight that erupted between the two different ethnic groups involved machetes, arrows and Molotov cocktails.
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t least 19 people were killed in a clash at a nightclub in the town of Sorong, West Papua, police said on Tuesday, with most dying after the venue caught fire.
One victim was stabbed and 18 more died in the blaze at the Double O nightclub, officials said.
"The clash broke out last night [Monday] at 11 p.m. It was a prolonged conflict from a clash on Saturday," Sorong police chief Adj. Comr. Ary Nyoto Setiawan said in a statement.
The fight that erupted between the two different ethnic groups involved machetes, arrows and Molotov cocktails, according to National Police spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan.
"The West Papua Police immediately coordinated with religious and traditional leaders to avoid further clashes," he said, adding that officials were investigating who was behind the fight and what had ignited the fire.
The police said the incident had not involved residents of West Papua, where there is a long-running insurgency.
The nightclub, a large red and white building, was left gutted by the blaze and a burnt out vehicle was seen lying on its side by the blackened entrance.
"The club was burnt from the first floor," said Ary. "We tried to evacuate as many people as possible, but after the firefighters extinguished the fire this morning, we found some bodies there."
A misunderstanding had set off the fight between the two groups, Ary said.
"We tried to mediate between the groups, as we called their leaders before last night's clash."
Police have deployed forces in the town to prevent any further clashes, according to an AFP journalist.
Sorong is the largest city in West Papua and home to a major port.
Rebels have recently escalated their fight in Papua, targeting road contractors, schools and clinics they say have links to the Indonesian Military (TNI). Authorities have responded by sending additional deployments of troops and police.
