As dozens of partygoers shuffled out of the PlusOne nightclub on Saturday night they stopped on the stairs as they were unable to move, according to Brazilian journalist Marcelo Bueno.

“They were all leaving and then they stopped on the stairs all together. More and more people filled the stairway until the glass railing collapsed and they fell,” the eyewitness said.

Mr Bueno, who recorded the whole incident on his mobile phone, said the revellers stopped as a scuffle ensued at the bottom of the stairs, blocking the exit.

When the railing collapsed, young patrons fell more than a storey, landing on broken glass and the hard steps beneath

A professional reporter, he instinctively got his mobile phone and started recording the scene when he heard screams from across the road.

“There was a lot commotion and I began recording. It wasn’t long before they fell over,” he said. In the footage, seen by the Times of Malta, the railing can be seen giving way as more and more youths squeezed against it in a bid to get out of the nightclub.

When the railing finally collapsed, young patrons fell a height of more than a storey, landing on broken glass and the hard steps beneath. From across the road, Mr Bueno said he heard shouts of pain as the young people landed on top of each other.

First responders struggled to help the youths, some of whom limped across the road to find their friends.

“There was a girl in front of me who was bleeding very badly from her leg and others who were calling out for their friends. It was a mess,” he said.

Fractures and cuts

Some of the injured needed treatment from a nebuliser, possibly due to gas inhalation. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Seventy-four people were injured during the stampede at the Paceville nightclub PlusOne on Saturday night, including two in critical condition.

Forty-four people were admitted to Mater Dei Hospital and another 30 received treatment at health centres: 12 in Paola, 11 in Mosta and seven in Floriana.

A 13-year-old girl remains in critical condition, while the condition of a 15-year-old, who was initially also reported in critical condition, has improved slightly. Of the injured, five were under the age of 16 and the oldest was 25.

Most of the injured suffered fractures and cuts and a small number required treatment via a nebuliser, possibly due to the inhalation of a gas. Some were also treated for soreness in their eyes.

Sixteen patients were still at Mater Dei yesterday, six of them needing surgery.

Ambulances made 21 trips to and from Mater Dei.