Fire in Spanish nightclub kills at least 13, with more missing
Police say the death toll could rise as a number of attendees remain unaccounted for
An investigation is underway after a fire in a nightclub in the Spanish city of Murcia killed at least 13 people, with more reported missing.
Around 6 AM on Sunday 1st October, a fire broke out at La Fonda Milagros club in the south-eastern Spanish city, before spreading to the neighbouring Teatre and Golden clubs. While no cause has yet been given by the authorities, Diego Seral, the national police spokesperson, told Radio Onda Regional de Murcia: “According to initial information, the fire broke out on the first floor of the nightclub, which has a ground floor and a first floor.”
According to a report by the Guardian, Francisco Jiménez, the central government’s delegate to Murcia, confirmed that 13 people had died in the blaze, noting that the victims included individuals with Colombian, Nicaraguan, Ecuadorian and Spanish nationality.
Another four people - two women aged 22 and 25 and two men in their 40s - have been injured after suffering from smoke inhalation and police warn that the death toll could rise as a number of attendees remain unaccounted for. Officials have said that identification of the remaining deceased could take a number of days, as DNA samples would have to be sent to Madrid for processing.
Diego Seral, of Spain's National Police told the Independent that Fonda Milagros had sustained the majority of fire damage, including the collapse of its roof which has mad it difficult to locate victims. Seral added that the identification of bodies "would take time."
The Guardian report added that Murcia city council believed it appeared that the Teatre and La Fona Milagros clubs had been operating without an official licence since January 2022 following planning concerns about the decision to split the original Teatre club into two venues.
Following the fire, Murcia’s councillor for urban planning, Antonio Navarro, said the clubs had been officially ordered to close in October last year, going on to say that the council intends to take legal action against the company that owned the venues.
“We will find out who bears responsibility for what has happened,” said Navarro. “We will be taking action against the Teatre company for failing to comply with the orders to cease [their activities]. We’re talking about an unprecedented tragedy and we will determine responsibility for what happened whatever the cost.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Policía Nacional told the broadcast channel RTVE: “We can confirm the sad news that 13 people have died – three of whom have already been identified. When it comes to the number of missing people, we’re opting for caution. We’re not ruling out that there may be more dead people inside."
"We still haven’t managed to get into the interior of the club," the spokesperson added. "The state that the facilities are in is making things difficult for both firefighters and police.”
As the investiation continues, Murcia has declared three days of mourning and flags were lowerd to half mast outside city hall. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, offered “solidarity with the victims and relatives of [those who died in] the tragic fire”.
