A Hong Kong teenager celebrating his 18th birthday and 3 of his friends were among the 43 dead in Saturday’s nightclub blaze in southern China, officials confirmed on Monday.

Choi Wai-tat and his friends crossed the border to Shenzhen to celebrate his birthday in the Dance King nightclub which is popular with Hong Kong youths because of its cheap drinks.

He died with his friends aged 17 to 20 as smoke from a fireworks show that went wrong billowed through the unlicensed club and people scrambled to try to escape through a single exit, officials said.

The only member of the Hong Kong party to survive the tragedy was Cheng Sze-lap, who later told reporters he was knocked unconscious in the stampede for the exit.

Speaking from his hospital bed, he told the South China Morning Post: "There were no lights and there was more and more smoke in the air ... It was hard to breathe.

"I could only follow the crowd and pushed a girl in front of me while those behind pushed me ... I was trampled underfoot and soon fell unconscious."

Cheng came to in a hospital bed and was visited by Choi's weeping parents who asked him: "Why were you the only one to run out? Why didn't you stay with them? You all came from Hong Kong together." Cheng wept and replied "I don't know", the newspaper said.

A total of 43 people were killed and at least 88 more were injured. Thirteen people have been detained in connection with the fire and three local district officials have been sacked.