At least 13 people have died in a fire at a nightclub in Murcia, Spain, according to the city’s emergency services.
The rescue teams are still searching for individuals with unknown fates following the incident.
One survivor mentioned, “Five family members and two friends are among the missing.”
Diego Seral, a member of the Spanish National Police, reported that casualties were found at the “La Fonda” nightclub, one of three adjacent nightclubs, which suffered the most damage due to the fire, especially its collapsed roof.
He added that the collapse has made it difficult to pinpoint the locations of the victims and determine the exact origin of the fire, as reported by Reuters.
The identification of the bodies is expected to take some time. Emergency services stated that the number of casualties has increased to 13 over the course of the day.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
José Ballesta, the mayor of Murcia, earlier stated that authorities found seven bodies in the same area on the first floor where the fire broke out.
María Dolores Albiñana, the spokesperson for the Teatro nightclub, told reporters that the fire initially ignited at the adjacent “La Fonda” nightclub before flames spread to the neighboring nightclubs.
Ballesta declared three days of mourning for the victims’ souls, and flags outside the Murcia City Hall were lowered.
A video posted on Murcia’s emergency services account on X-Fire showed firefighters attempting to control the flames inside the nightclub. The footage also showed the damaged roof section.
The fire broke out around 6:00 a.m. local time and was subsequently brought under control. Four individuals are receiving hospital treatment for smoke inhalation.
