The toll could rise in the coming hours, authorities have warned.
At least thirteen people died on the night of Saturday September 30 to Sunday October 1, in the fire at a nightclub in Murcia, in the south-east of Spain. The toll could rise in the coming hours, as police continue to search for bodies in the rubble of the night establishment. Franceinfo summarizes what we know about the tragedy.
The fire, of “extreme severity”, broke out around 6 a.m.
The fire broke out around six in the morning in a nightclub located in the Atalayas district of Murcia. This is the Teatre nightclub, whose yellow and red storefront was devoured by flames. The fire was, “inside, extremely serious”, explained the city’s mayor, José Ballesta. Firefighters, dispatched to the scene at 7 a.m., managed to extinguish the fire at 8 a.m.
Twelve emergency vehicles, 40 firefighters, as well as around twenty police officers were needed to put out the flames, according to the authorities. On X (formerly Twitter), the Murcia firefighters published photos and videos of the operation.
At least thirteen dead, according to a provisional report
The human toll from the fire was revised upwards several times throughout the day on Sunday. “Six new bodies were found in the rubble of the nightclub. The death toll stands at thirteen. Other victims are still possible.”emergency services announced, shortly before 2 p.m.
A few minutes earlier, the mayor of Murcia had explained to the press, announcing the extraction of four bodies, that others were still trapped and had not ruled out the possibility of finding other bodies in the rubble. “The scientific police and firefighters continue to locate the possible missing people, because there was a birthday last night and not all the participants have been found”a spokesperson for the national police told AFP.
Two women aged 22 and 25 and two men aged 41 and 45 were also treated after inhaling smoke.
“No preferred lead” to explain the disaster
At the start of Sunday afternoon, the causes of the disaster were still unknown. “The investigation has not yet started since the results have not been established. Consequently, no avenue is favored at the moment”explained the spokesperson for the national police. “Experts from the scientific and judicial police were deployed (…) to investigate”announced the national police on X.
According to initial information provided by the authorities, the fire broke out on the first floor of the nightclub.
Three days of mourning decreed in Murcia
The Prime Minister in office, Pedro Sanchez, expressed on “affection” and his “solidarity with the victims and relatives of the tragic fire that occurred at dawn in a nightclub in Murcia”.
The mayor of Murcia declared three days of mourning in memory of the victims and the municipality set up a reception cell for the victims’ relatives at the Atalayas Sports Palace. “I am truly sorry and I want to accompany the families of the victims of the fire this morning in Murcia in their pain. All my recognition and gratitude to the emergency services”also commented the leader of the right, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, also on X.