Club balcony collapse kills 2 in South Korea

Two people died and 16 were injured, including athletes taking part in swimming's world championship, after a balcony collapsed under the weight of party-goers at a South Korean nightclub, police said yesterday. The balcony at the Coyote Ugly club close to the athletes' village was a mangled wreck after it gave way and plummeted around five metres (16 feet) onto people below, sending hundreds of terrified clubbers running to the exit screaming. Eight athletes including an Olympic gold medallist -- US water polo player Kaleigh Gilchrist, who won at the Rio Games -- were caught up in the tragedy. Authorities said the two dead were locals. The owner of the club -- which was packed with more than 300 people as the balcony crumbled -- will be investigated on charges of accidental homicide, police added.