The explosion happened in the pre-dawn hours at the Dali nightclub, in the northern province of Trujillo, in Peru, as per a statement from the local Emergency Operations Centre. The Associated Press reports that the South American nation has recently been plagued by violence and crime.

It wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible for the attack. A motive also wasn’t immediately known.

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At least five of the injured were in serious condition, according to the executive director of the Trujillo Health Network, Gerardo Florián Gómez. Some of the victims suffered amputations and shrapnel wounds and were undergoing surgery, he told reporters. Among the injured are three minors: one 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds, Florián said.

Fiorella Mantilla, who was at the nightclub when the blast took place, told reporters that she had glass embedded in her legs and recalled that “it sounded as if the sound system had suddenly been turned off.”

The explosion took place less than a month after another blast in the same city that damaged 25 homes but caused no injuries or fatalities.

Extortion and illegal mining plague the La Libertad region, whose Andean portion is home to the largest gold-producing area in Peru. In 2025, the region experienced 286 explosions, 136 of which occurred in the city of Trujillo, according to official figures.

In January 2025, an explosive device was detonated in a prosecutor’s office building in Trujillo, while in August and September, two explosions damaged dozens of homes and left more than 20 people injured.

Authorities have said such incidents are linked to an extortion scheme run by organised criminal gangs, including Los Pulpos, which has extended its criminal activities to Chile and other countries in the region.