Draft:New's Divine nightclub tragedy

The New's Divine nightclub tragedy occurred in a discotheque bar located in the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City, where on the evening of 20 June 2008, according to the official version of the authorities, a human stampede took place in which nine assistants and three police officers died and sixteen others were seriously injured.

Background
The New's Divine nightclub was located along Ing. Eduardo Molina Avenue in Gustavo A. Madero. It opened in 1996 and operated under the names Bingos and La Rocka, and in 2005 it was renamed New's Divine. Its owner was Alfredo Maya Ortiz. The business was authorized to allow minors during the afternoons and it was licensed to sell alcoholic beverages during the evening as long as they were not sold to minors. Neighbors reported that alcohol and drugs were being sold to minors inside the facility.

Raid
On 20 June 2008 at approximately 18:00 CDT (UTC-5), 200 elements of the Secretariat of Public Security of the Federal District under the command of Guillermo Zayas González were deployed to conduct a police search of the premises and those inside the New's Divine nightclub. According to the official version, bar personnel announced over the loudspeakers that the police were present and that the public had to evacuate which panicked the assistants and attempted to leave the facility. An order was issued not to allow participants to leave, forcing numerous people to crowd near the single exit. The assistants and police officers inside the building began to suffocate from a lack of air and compressions induced by the pressing and shoving. Nine attendees between the ages of 13 and 29 died at the scene, along with three officers. However, witnesses at the scene reported that, after the evacuation announcement was made, the attendees were departing due to the announced instructions. Nonetheless, when cops started deploying tear gas and beating the crowd to restrain them, they panicked and gathered at the exit. Officers outside began letting attendees out and arresting them regardless of their medical condition. They were loaded onto police and city transit buses; several female teenagers testified that they were sexually abused and photographed naked.