At least 13 dead after horror fire tears through Spanish nightclub
1 October 2023, 13:47
At least 13 people have died after a fire broke out in a Spanish nightclub.
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The fire took place in the Teatre nightclub in the city of Murcia in the south-east of the country in the early hours of Sunday morning.
At least four people are injured. Emergency workers are still looking for other possible victims of the blaze, and the death toll could rise, they said.
The fire also tore through three nightclubs next to the venue where it started. Several birthday celebrations were reportedly taking place.
The roof of the original nightclub collapsed in the fire, which is making looking for victims harder.
Identifying victims and working out where the fire began will also be a challenge.
Outside the club, people who survived the fire were seen hugging and consoling each other.
One survivor said: "I think we left 30 seconds to one minute before the alarms went off and all the lights went out [and] the screams saying there was a fire.
"Five family members and two friends are missing."
Murcia mayor Jose Ballesta said officials were working out the cause of the fire.
"We are devastated," he told Spanish TV channel 24h.
Mr Ballesta announced three days of mourning for the victims. The flags outside the city hall have been lowered to half mast.
Murcia is Spain's seventh-largest city, with a population of around 460,000.
