Cameo evacuated after ‘tear gas’ released on the dance floor

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Cameo was evacuated after a canister of tear gas is suspected to have been released on the dance floor.

People began complaining about "itchy eyes" and "coughing" and Dorset Police have said at least 40 people were treated by paramedics at the scene, with one person being taken to hospital "as a precaution".

Jack Roffey, a Marketing Communications and Public Relations student at BU, told The Bournemouth Tab: “It all was pretty hectic. I was in the main room for Cameo at the time when Yungen starting performing. Suddenly about 40 people or so people were looking very confused at each other including myself, holding our noses and mouths. There was a strong smell of a substance which did water up my eyes and burn the insides of my nostrils."

He added, "At first we thought it was a stink bomb, but after a while it was clear it wasn’t. The whole club was evacuated in about 5-10 minutes. All the emergency services were outside looking as confused as we were.”

Josh Wilde, a BU Journalism student, told The Mirror: “The last time I spoke to the police they didn’t seem to know any more than I did.

"They were dealing with people as they came out if they were presenting symptoms, or passing them onto the paramedics.

"I spoke to a police officer and some sort of canister had been let off inside the venue."

He added: "There were people being taken into an ambulance or taken away for further examination. A lot of people were coughing or having breathing difficulties – certainly the people who were in the middle of it."

"The club advertised it as a major night and sold out all their tickets, so I would say there was at least 3,000 people there." Rapper Yungen was also scheduled to play.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: "At 2am today, Dorset Police received a report that some type of irritant, possibly CS spray, had been released within the Cameo nightclub on Fir Vale Road, Bournemouth.

"Following a decision by management of the premises to evacuate, around 40 people were treated by the ambulance service for minor effects."

Police are studying CCTV of the club and have launched an investigation into the incident.

If you were there or have any information about this incident please get in touch on The Bournemouth Tab Facebook page or email [email protected].

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