Four die in discotheque stampede

Four people died in a stampede at a discotheque in a small Russian town when word spread that it was offering free entry on Saturday night, the local police spokesman said on Sunday.

Around 200 people flocked to the discotheque in the Urals town of Pervouralsk near the regional capital Yekaterinburg, spokesman Valery Gorelykh said.

Three 16-year-old schoolgirls and a 30-year-old man died in the crush, one person was rushed to hospital and seven were treated by paramedics at the scene, he said.

"Quick action by policemen at the scene, who started pulling out teenagers one by one from the crowd and offering first aid to the injured, helped prevent more casualties," Gorelykh said.

The police have launched an investigation under articles of the criminal code that carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison, he added.