MADRID: At least 13 people have been killed in a fire in adjoining nightclubs in Murcia in southeast Spain, emergency services said on Sunday, adding that rescuers were still searching for people unaccounted for after the blaze.
Outside the club, young people hugged, looking shocked as they waited for information after the fire that broke out in the early hours in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city.
“I think we left 30 seconds to 1 minute before the alarms went off and all the lights went out (and) the screams saying there was a fire,” one survivor, who was not identified, said. “Five family members and two friends are missing.”
Diego Seral of Spain’s National Police said the dead were found in the Fonda nightclub, one of three adjoining clubs, which had sustained the majority of fire damage, including the collapse of its roof, he added. The collapse was making it difficult to locate victims, and it was difficult to pinpoint yet where exactly the fire started, he said.
The identification of the bodies would take time, he said. The emergency services gave the death toll, which has risen throughout the day, as 13. The cause of the blaze is being investigated. Earlier, Murcia’s mayor Jose Ballesta had said seven bodies had been found in the same area of the first floor, where the fire broke out.
Teatre nightclub spokesperson Maria Dolores Albellan said the fire originated in the neighbouring club, La Fonda, before spreading to the two adjoining clubs. Spanish media reported several birthday celebrations were taking place at the time. Ballesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died.
Footage released by Murcia’s fire service showed firefighters working to control flames inside the club.
Outside the club, young people hugged, looking shocked as they waited for information after the fire that broke out in the early hours in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city.
“I think we left 30 seconds to 1 minute before the alarms went off and all the lights went out (and) the screams saying there was a fire,” one survivor, who was not identified, said. “Five family members and two friends are missing.”
Diego Seral of Spain’s National Police said the dead were found in the Fonda nightclub, one of three adjoining clubs, which had sustained the majority of fire damage, including the collapse of its roof, he added. The collapse was making it difficult to locate victims, and it was difficult to pinpoint yet where exactly the fire started, he said.
The identification of the bodies would take time, he said. The emergency services gave the death toll, which has risen throughout the day, as 13. The cause of the blaze is being investigated. Earlier, Murcia’s mayor Jose Ballesta had said seven bodies had been found in the same area of the first floor, where the fire broke out.
Teatre nightclub spokesperson Maria Dolores Albellan said the fire originated in the neighbouring club, La Fonda, before spreading to the two adjoining clubs. Spanish media reported several birthday celebrations were taking place at the time. Ballesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died.
Footage released by Murcia’s fire service showed firefighters working to control flames inside the club.
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