Alex Trelinski
POLICE have confirmed that 13 people died in a nightclub fire in Murcia City on Sunday morning with five ‘missing’ guests located safe and sound.
Policia Nacional spokesperson Diego Seral said it could take ‘several weeks’ for to determine the cause of the fire that struck at around 6.00am in two adjoining clubs in the Atalayas area of the city
Francisco Jiménez, the national government representative in Murcia, told TVE on Monday that no further bodies had been found and that there was no longer anyone missing.
Besides the 13 fatalities, 24 people were injured in Spain’s deadliest nightclub fire since 1990 when 43 people lost their lives in a Zaragoza venue.
In December 1983. 81 people were killed in a nightclub blaze in Madrid, with smoke, a failure in the lighting system and a closed emergency door all contributing to the disaster.
Four people have been injured after suffering from smoke inhalation in the Atalayas blaze and police said that the roof of the building had collapsed, which made it harder for guests to exit and for rescue operations to be conducted.
The centre of the tragedy was the first floor of the Disco Fonda Milagro which was a reserved restaurant area being used for a birthday party and from where all the bodies have been recovered.
One woman sent a voice mail to her mother when the fire started, which according to the La Verdad newspaper said: “Mummy, I love you, we’re going to die.”
There’s been no news as to whether she survived.
Family members have been supplying DNA samples to identify the bodies found in the club.
An eye-witness speaking to El Pais described the area as a ‘labyrinth’ with just one winding staircase offering limited access.
Others claimed that emergency exits were not sign-posted.
Murcia’s mayor, Jose Ballesta, could not confirm or deny on Sunday that the Disco Fonda Milagro had all the necessary safety licences in place.
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