Two people have been killed and 16 others injured in a shooting at a nightclub in the US state of Florida.

The shooting occurred at the Club Blu nightclub in Fort Myer at around 00:30 (04:30 GMT) on Monday morning, just as parents were arriving to pick up their children from a party aimed at teenagers.

The victims were aged between 12 and 17 years old.

Police said shots were also fired, injuring another person, five blocks away from the nightclub.

Three people have been detained in connection with the shooting.

The motive for the shooting is yet to be determined, but local media reports that the area around the club has become a hotspot for gang and drug-related activity.

Club Blu offered their condolences to those injured. In a statement, a spokesperson for the club said:

“We are deeply sorry for all involved. We tried to give the teens WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A SAFE PLACE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. Ages 12-17. There was armed security as well as full security,inside and out. As the club was closing and parents were picking their children up…..that’s when all this took place. There was nothing more we could of done az you see it was not kids at the party that did this despicable act. Our condolences to all parties involved.”

The attack comes less than two months after a gunman with links to the Islamic State killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.