Fire at nightclub kills at least 13 people in Murcia, Spain

MADRID (Reuters) – At least 13 people 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.

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 morning in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city.

“I think we got out between 30 seconds and 1 minute before the alarms went off and all the lights went out (and) the screams saying there was a fire,” said one survivor, who was not identified.

“Five relatives 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 that the dead were found at the Fonda Milagros nightclub, one of three adjoining nightclubs, which had suffered most of the fire damage, including the collapse of the roof, he added. .

The collapse was making it difficult to locate victims and it was still difficult to determine where exactly the fire started, he said.

Police investigators have not yet been able to access the site due to high temperatures and the danger of collapse.

Identification of the bodies will take time, Seral said. Emergency services put the death toll at 13, which increased steadily throughout the day. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Earlier, Murcia Mayor José Ballesta told reporters that seven bodies had been found in the same area of ​​the first floor where the fire occurred.

A spokesperson for the Teatre nightclub, María Dolores Albellán, told reporters that the fire originated in the neighboring nightclub, Fonda Milagros, before spreading to the two adjoining nightclubs.

Ballesta declared three days of mourning for the deceased. The flags were raised at half-mast in front of Murcia City Hall.

Images released by Murcia firefighters showed firefighters working to control the flames inside the nightclub. Images show that the fire destroyed part of the roof.

“We are devastated,” Ballesta told Spanish television channel 24h, adding that rescuers were still searching for several people reported missing.

Ballesta told 24h that the fire started around 6 a.m. and was already under control.

Four people have been treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

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