A MAN has been told he is lucky to be alive after he was stabbed inside a Bury nightclub.

The 20-year-old was attacked in Studio 24 shortly before 2.45am on Sunday, March 5, when he was stabbed in the chest. He suffered a punctured diaphragm.

Officers were called by a member of the public, who had seen a man with a stab wound, to Silver Street.

He was rushed to Fairfield Hospital, before being transferred to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where he was in a coma for a day in an intensive care ward.

The victim’s father, who wished not to be named, said a consultant told the family that if the wound had been any higher it could have gone through his heart. He said: “He was stabbed in the chest just below his heart and a consultant said the knife took the best route as it avoided his vital organs.

“He’s at home now and recovering well. We’ve had one trip back to casualty because his wound became infected although generally he is doing okay.”

He added: “He rarely goes out in Bury but that night he went with his friend and ended up having a bit of a scuffle in the night club. He felt something go into his chest and fell backwards before leaving the club and stumbling in the street. He realised he had been stabbed in the chest and luckily was put in a taxi to Fairfield Hospital.”

A spokesman for the Studio 24 nightclub said: “We always work closely with the police as a licensed premises in prevention of issues for the many, from the few. We have an excellent security team and cctv system and provided footage. Our feelings and thoughts are with the victim and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery whatever the investigation determines.”