An apparent stampede at a Halloween party in the Spanish capital has left three girls dead and at least two others in hospital.

The disaster struck some time before 4am at an indoor stadium that had been transformed into a party venue for Halloween.

“Three victims were trampled to death and two others were injured,” a police spokesman said.

The victims were aged between 18 and 25, he said.

The deadly crush was apparently triggered when someone inside the stadium hurled a firework, the spokesman said, adding that the site had been evacuated and an investigation launched.

The party was being held at the Telefonica Arena, in the west of the city, an arena that can take up to 10,000 people.

One partygoer, Sandra, told Cadena Ser there was only one way out as all the other exits had been sealed off.

The remaining exit was blocked by what she described as “a human plug”.

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