Spain: Fire in Nightclub Murcia claims six lives, four injured

A well-known nightclub in Murcia, a city in southeast Spain, caught fire early on Sunday morning, killing at least six people. Emergency authorities cautioned that while they continue to look for numerous persons who are still missing, the death toll might grow. Emergency services and Murcia's mayor, José Ballesta, verified the news.

The fire started in the nightclub Teatre between 6 and 7 in the morning and quickly spread to Golden and Fonda, two additional nightclubs in the Las Atalayas entertainment district outside of the city.

After putting out the fire, firefighters checked the damaged nightclubs for any victims. Eight persons who were in the clubs at the time of the fire, according to witnesses who talked to the publication La Verdad de Murcia, have not been reached. Ballesta said the six bodies were found inside Teatre: “At the moment six bodies have been located and the search continues”.

At least four individuals—two men and two women, ages 41 and 45 and 22 and 25 respectively—were also hurt by smoke inhalation. Numerous young people were seen on the streets close to the nightclubs in the first pictures taken of the fire-damaged area, with a massive column of black smoke billowing in the distance.

Firefighters from the Murcia City Fire Department and the Murcia Regional Fire and Rescue Consortium collaborated to put out the fires. An athletic facility was being used by emergency personnel to help the victims, particularly with psychological support.