At least 13 people have lost their lives and several others were injured in a fire that broke out in a nightclub in South East Spain early on Sunday. The cause of the fire is yet to be established.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers comb through the rubble. Murcia’s mayor also told reporters that there are still bodies to be recovered. “Given the risk of collapse, the task is complicated,” said Ballesta. The emergency services hinted at the same in a post on X, formally Twitter, saying that firefighters were still working in the area and had not ruled out the chance of finding more victims.
According to media reports, multiple birthday parties were being held in the nightclubs when the fire broke out. The magnitude of the damage and loss of life is unknown, although the mayor of Murcia stated that the fire began at 6 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT). “The fire was extremely serious,” Ballesta added.
“The fire originated in the neighboring club, Fonda, before spreading to the two adjoining clubs,” said a spokesperson for the Teatre nightclub, Maria Dolores Albellan.
“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,” said Diego Seral of Spain’s National Police.
The collapse was making it hard to locate victims, and it was also difficult to pinpoint yet where exactly the fire started, he said.
Some partygoers were able to escape unhurt when they left the scene just before the fire broke out. “I think we left 30 seconds to one minute before the alarms went off and all the lights went out [and] the screams saying there was a fire,” an unidentified survivor was quoted saying. “Five family members and two friends are missing.”
The authorities however said four people were injured and suffered from smoke inhalation, including two men and two women.
Edited by Judy J. Rotich and Newsdesk Manager
