by Marco Bruna
The cause that started the fire is still unclear. The Mayor of Murcia: Only 3 bodies identified, DNA needed for the others. The nightclub burned down in 2009. The Murcia region declared three days of mourning
Mom, I love you, we are dying: the desperate message, a voicemail sent by one of the victims of the fire that broke out at dawn this morning in a nightclub in Murcia, southern Spain. A message for his mother. “I love you,” says the 28-year-old.
At least twelve people died with her – there were no Italians among the victims – and four others were poisoned in the fire at the Teatre nightclub in the Las Atalayas district. There are three missing. The woman’s father performed the voice for journalists: he sent her mother an audio recording in which he told her what was happening and that she was leaving. “They could hear the screams, they couldn’t breathe,” Jairo said, his voice breaking with tears.
In the evening, when the fire was extinguished and the authorities announced the death toll, the mayor of Murcia announced the final death toll: 13 bodies were recovered, of which only three could be identified – the mayor stressed –. To identify the other 10, a DNA test is required. So there are three missing people, although no other human remains have been found in the area affected by the fire at this time.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the fire apparently started from the La Fonda restaurant, which is located next to the theater.
As the local newspaper Opinion de Murcia reported, a party for a boy’s 30th birthday was also held at the venue, in the presence of about twenty people from his family of Nicaraguan origin, which had emigrated to Spain about fifteen years ago.
The fire consumed the roof, the flames quickly spread everywhere and the fire department had difficulty extinguishing it.
We are following with concern the news of the tragedy that has occurred in Murcia. I express my condolences to all those affected and extend my condolences to the relatives and friends of the perpetrators.
– Yolanda Daz (@Yolanda_Diaz_) October 1, 2023
Vice President Yolanda Diaz spoke on behalf of the government on X: “We are following the news of the tragedy in Murcia with concern.” My love goes out to all those affected and my condolences to their families.
The disco burned down again in 2009
It is not the first time that a fire has broken out in the discotheque: back in June 2009, some cables in the facade caught fire and forced the venue to be evacuated. The Murcia region declared three days of national mourning.
The precedents of Zaragoza and Madrid
This morning’s fire is the deadliest in Spain since the 1990 tragedy at the Flying nightclub in Zaragoza, in which 43 people died. However, the greatest tragedy in a Spanish nightclub occurred in Madrid on December 17, 1983, when flames ravaged the premises of Alcal 20, leaving 81 people, most of them very young, dead. This disaster caused a political uproar as investigations revealed that the disaster was made worse by the failure of the lighting system and a closed security door. After this fire, Spain adopted numerous regulations to increase safety in the premises.
October 1, 2023 (changed October 1, 2023 | 8:05 p.m.)
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