At least 13 people have died after a fire broke out at La Fonda nightclub in Murcia. The newspaper “La Verdad de Murcia” published the contents of a dramatic audio message sent by one of the women residing in the building at the time to her mother. – Mom, I love you, we will die – said the 28-year-old.
Local media reported that a group of more than 20 friends were celebrating a birthday in a club when a fire broke out on Sunday morning. According to the daily newspaper La Opinion de Murcia, there is likely a short circuit in the lighting.
– I think we left for 30 seconds to a minute before the alarm went off, and all the lights went out and there were screams of fire – said a man staying in one of the buildings and was quoted by Reuters.
“Mom, I love you, we will die.”
Maria Dolores Albalan, spokeswoman for the Teatre nightclub where the fire occurred, told reporters that the fire first broke out in the neighboring La Fonda nightclub and then spread very quickly to two neighboring clubs.
At least 13 people died as a result of the fire. According to local police, identifying the bodies will take a long time.
The newspaper “La Verdad de Murcia” published the contents of an audio message sent by one of the women residing in the building at the time to her mother.
– Mom, I love you, we will die – said the 28-year-old. It is not known whether she survived. It is known that she went to the nightclub with her partner and several friends from the nearby town of Caravaca de la Cruz.
– They went there because there are no nightclubs in Caravaca de la Cruz – said the father of the 28-year-old woman. He added that this was her second visit to La Fonda.
Mayor of Murcia: We are devastated
The death toll has changed several times. Earlier on Sunday, the mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta, announced that four people had died, and later wrote about seven, then about 11 victims. The official said some people were missing.
– We are devastated – he said on Spanish television, Ballesta. The city’s mayor declared three days of mourning in the city. Flags were flown at half-mast in front of the Murcia City Hall.
Rescuers warned that the number of casualties could rise.
Ballista said that firefighters were not able to enter one of the nightclubs until after the fire was extinguished.
The mayor expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims. He pointed out that the fire brigade began investigating the causes of the fire.
Main image source: PAP
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