Murcia: Many dead in fire hell in Spanish discos

Murcia
Many deaths in fire hell in Spanish discos

Dozens of people were still partying hard around six in the morning when dance floors and bars suddenly turned into a fire inferno: a fire broke out in a popular entertainment center with three discos At least 13 people have died in Murcia in southeastern Spain.

In addition, at least four people were injured, the regional emergency service said.

“We are all devastated,” Murcia Mayor José Ballesta told reporters. He declared three days of mourning. The fire brigade continued to search for victims in the rubble. Since several people were still missing, the authorities did not rule out the possibility that the number of victims would rise.

Videos published in the media and on social networks show how the flames shot meters high from the roof of the “Teatre” disco before sunrise. Dozens of people can be seen wandering around on the street in front of the restaurant. According to initial findings, the flames broke out in one of the three discos located there and, according to official information, quickly spread to the others.

Cloud of smoke can be seen for miles

The cloud of smoke from the Las Atalayas shopping and entertainment center just outside Murcia could be seen for kilometers, the state television station RTVE reported. According to official information, it was already after nine o’clock when the approximately 40 firefighters deployed were able to extinguish the last of the flames and start looking for victims. In the nearby Sports Palace of Murcia, the city set up a care center where disco guests and relatives of the victims, dozens of whom had rushed to the scene of the accident, received psychological support, among other things.

For some, this help was particularly needed. Jairo, whose daughter was missing, continued to be plagued by agonizing uncertainty early in the afternoon. “The whole family is here, we are all very nervous,” the father complained, close to tears, in an interview with the reporter from the radio station “Cadena Ser” and other media. “We want to know what happened, even if it is the worst news. But we are not told anything.” The man played an audio message from his daughter to her mother on his cell phone in front of the journalists. “Mommy, I love you, we’re going to die,” can be heard. Nothing was initially known about the fate of the 28-year-old.

The search for missing people continues

“The search for the missing continues with extreme difficulty,” explained Mayor Ballesta. He tried to give the desperate relatives a little hope: “More and more families are currently arriving at the family care service who don’t know where their loved ones are. But of course it could be that they are in other places.”

Shortly after the mayor said these words, the emergency services reported the discovery of bodies number 8 to 13 after 1 p.m. And the search continued.

The tremor soon reached beyond the borders of the popular holiday region, which is now still visited by many tourists from home and abroad in late summer, and reached Madrid’s Moncloa government palace. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his “affection and solidarity” to the victims and relatives of the “tragedy” on

Cause of fire still unknown

The cause and exact location of the fire outbreak are still unknown. The investigation has begun, said National Police spokesman Diego Seral. The identities of the victims were initially not disclosed.

But one thing is certain: it was the worst disco fire in Spain in almost three and a half decades. In 1990, 43 people died in a fire in the “Flying” dance bar in Zaragoza. The only worse outcome was in 1983 at the “Alcalá 20” disco in Madrid: 81 people died in the flames a few days before Christmas Eve.

dpa