Caracas, Jan 24 (AP) Eleven young people, mostly teenagers, who were hunting small animals died in a fire that swept through a sugarcane field in Venezuela, authorities said Friday.

Investigators said those who died were trying to catch rabbits and iguanas fleeing a controlled burn Thursday afternoon before strong winds drove the flames in their direction, trapping them.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a national TV broadcast that residents of the community have hunted animals that way for decades.

The fire got out of control in Cagua in Aragua state, 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of the capital of Caracas.

Authorities are investigating. (AP)

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