At least 19 killed after karaoke bar in Indonesia’s West Papua set ablaze in gang brawl

The incident is under investigation with police suspecting an increase in the death toll

A fire burns at the Double O nightclub where at least 18 people were killed in clashes between two groups in Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua province on 25 January 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

At least 19 people have died in Indonesia’s West Papua after a karaoke bar caught fire following a dispute between rival gangs.

“The clash broke out last night [Monday],” Sorong police chief Ary Nyoto Setiawan was quoted as saying by AFP. “It was a prolonged conflict from a clash on Saturday.”

According to the police in the provincial capital of Sorong, one person was fatally stabbed after which the Double O nightclub was set ablaze with 18 people trapped inside.

The club was burnt from the first floor, according to Mr Setiawan.

“We tried to evacuate as many people as possible, but after the firefighters extinguished the fire this morning, we found some bodies there,” said Mr Setiawan.

In one image captured from the incident, a man can be seen hiding behind a car as the fire engulfs the bar.

In another image from the next morning, the same car is seemed to have been charred after being caught in the blaze.

The burnt out Double O nightclub is seen where at least 18 people were killed in clashes between two groups, in Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua province on 25 January 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

“Fights among youths in cities are normal, but that it has caused so many deaths, that is a first,” Adam Erwini, a spokesman for West Papua police, told Metro TV.

The incident is under investigation, with police suspecting a rise in the total death toll, said Mr Erwini.

Additional reporting from the wires