Key Points
- The blaze originated in the Fonda Milagros nightclub in Spain.
- It then spread to two adjoining clubs, killing at least 13 people.
- The mayor of Murcia has declared a three-day period of mourning for the dead.
At least 13 people have been killed in a fire that broke out in a nightclub in the southeast Spain city of Murcia, 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.”
Spanish media reported that several of the dead were from one group that was celebrating a birthday.
The La Verdad de Murcia newspaper quoted a 28-year-old woman believed to be one of the victims, who sent a voice mail to her mother while trapped inside one of the clubs.
“Mum, I love you, we’re going to die,” a young woman’s voice could be heard saying on the recording.
Cause of the blaze still being investigated
Diego Seral, of Spain’s National Police, told reporters the dead were found in the Fonda Milagros 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 where exactly the fire started yet, he said.
The identification of the bodies would take time, Seral said. The emergency services gave the death toll, which has risen steadily throughout the day, as 13. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.
Part of the burned-out interior of the Fonda Milagros nightclub, which caught fire. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. Source: AP / AP
Earlier, Murcia’s Mayor Jose Ballesta told reporters seven bodies had been found in the same area of the first floor, where the fire broke out.
A spokesperson for the Teatre nightclub, Maria Dolores Albellan, told reporters the fire originated in the neighbouring club, Fonda Milagros, before spreading to the two adjoining clubs.
Murcia declares three days of mourning
Ballesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died. Flags were lowered to half-mast outside Murcia’s City Hall.
Footage released by Murcia’s fire service showed firefighters working to control flames inside the Fonda Milagros, showing fire damage to the roof.
“We are devastated,” Ballesta said on Spanish TV channel 24h.
Ballesta told 24h the fire started at around 6am local time, and had now been brought under control.
Four people have been treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.
