MADRID, Oct 1 (Portal) – At least 13 people have died in a fire at a nightclub in Murcia, southeastern Spain, emergency services said on Sunday, adding that rescuers were still searching for people missing after the fire became.
Outside the club, young people hugged each other and looked shocked as they waited for information after the fire that broke out in the early hours of the morning in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city.
“I think we drove off for 30 seconds to 1 minute before the alarm went off and all the lights went out (and) the screams were heard that there was a fire,” said a survivor who was not identified.
“Five family members and two friends are missing.”
Spanish media reported that several of the dead belonged to a group celebrating a birthday.
Diego Seral of Spain’s National Police told reporters the bodies were found at the Fonda Milagros nightclub, one of three adjacent clubs that suffered the most fire damage, including the collapse of its roof, he added.
The collapse made it difficult to locate the victims and it was difficult to pinpoint where the fire started, he said.
Due to the high temperatures and the risk of collapse, police investigators have not yet been able to enter the area.
[1/2]View of damage to the building’s exterior after a fatal fire at a nightclub in Murcia, Spain, on October 1, 2023 in this still image from a handout video. Forta/Handout via Portal acquires license rights
Identifying the bodies would take some time, Seral said. The emergency services put the death toll, which rose steadily throughout the day, at 13. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Earlier, Murcia Mayor Jose Ballesta told reporters that seven bodies were found in the same area of the first floor where the fire broke out.
A spokeswoman for the Teatre nightclub, Maria Dolores Albellan, told reporters the fire started in the neighboring club Fonda Milagros and then spread to the two adjacent clubs.
Ballesta declared three days of mourning for the deceased. In front of the Murcia town hall, the flags were lowered to half-mast.
Footage released by the Murcia Fire Department showed firefighters working to control the flames at the nightclub. The fire destroyed part of the roof, the footage showed.
“We are devastated,” Ballesta said on Spanish television channel 24h, adding that rescuers were still searching for several people reported missing.
Ballesta told 24h that the fire broke out around 6 a.m. and has now been brought under control.
Four people were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.
reporting by Jessica Jones; Edited by Hugh Lawson, Alison Williams and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
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