At least 24 people have been killed in a fire at a nightclub in the Peruvian capital, Lima, officials say.

The blaze swept through the Utopia discotheque in the Surco district at about 0300 local time (0800 GMT).

It all happened incredibly quickly, everything happened in a matter of seconds

Eyewitness

Authorities said there were about 1,000 revellers in the club at the time and it is feared the number of casualties could rise.

Police said the blaze was started by a juggler tossing flaming batons during a party to celebrate the club's second month open to the public.

Other reports said bartenders had been performing stunts with fire.

Local media said there was complete panic in the club, with people throwing alcohol rather than water on to the flames, causing the fire to spread.

"It all happened incredibly quickly, everything happened in a matter of seconds. It was so fast people didn't realise," said an eyewitness.

He said some people jumped from the second floor trying to flee the blaze.

Peruvian radio said there was a stampede during the rush to escape from the building.

More than 40 people were injured, Lima fire department said.

Fire hazard

Tulio Nicolini, from the Peruvian fire service, said safety standards in the discotheque were "totally non-existent".

He said the nightclub had no water sprinklers, adding that the blaze was "a disaster waiting to happen".

The mayor of the neighbourhood, Carlos Dargent, said the discotheque was illegal and the building, which was in the Jockey Plaza shopping centre, was unlicensed.

A lion and a tiger which were on show in cages in the club also died in the blaze.

It was the second major fire in Lima in less than a year.

Last December, more than 300 people were killed when fireworks sparked a blaze at another shopping centre in the city.