At least 13 people died after a devastating fire razed a nightclub in Spain’s Murcia during the early hours of Sunday. The incident took place at the two-story “Teatre” nightclub, also known as “Fonda Milagros.”
According to authorities, the toll could rise further as rescue workers sift through the debris, reported news agency AFP.
More than 40 firefighters and 12 emergency vehicles were attending the scene, authorities said.
Murcia’s mayor Jose Ballesta said the fire had broken out at around 6:00 am and was “extremely serious”.
Speaking to the media, he said that “there are still bodies to be pulled out” from the rubble, which he said was a complicated task given the “risk of collapse,” according to AFP.
A spokesperson for the Teatre nightclub, Maria Dolores Albellan, told reporters the fire originated in the neighbouring club, La Fonda, before spreading to the two adjoining clubs, reported Reuters.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez voiced “solidarity with the victims and relatives of the tragic fire in a Murcia nightclub”.
Ballesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died. Flags were lowered to half-mast outside Murcia’s City Hall.