[This handout photograph taken and released on October 1, 2023 by the 112 Emergency Services of the Murcia Region shows firefighters getting ready near the Teatre nightclub as at least thirteen people were killed in a fire, in Murcia. (Image Credit: AFP)]
Madrid: At least 13 people have torched to death after fire engulfed a nightclub in the south-eastern city of Murcia, Spanish authorities say.
The fire broke out in the popular Teatre nightclub, in the Atalayas area, at around 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) when a birthday party was at its peak.
Tragically, the firefighters reached the nightclub, also known as "Fonda Milagros," a two-storey venue in Spain, immediately after the blaze was reported.
It however took them more than 2 hours to enter the night club.
Video shared online showed flames raging above the building and thick, dark smoke pouring out of its windows.
13 torched to death after fire in Spain night club pic.twitter.com/dkcd1ocXwI— ummid.com (@ummid) October 1, 2023
13 torched to death after fire in Spain night club pic.twitter.com/dkcd1ocXwI
"I think we left 30 seconds to 1 minute before the alarms went off and all the lights went out (and) the screams saying there was a fire," one survivor, who was not identified, said.
A 28-year-old woman who has not been found sent a voice note to her mother when the fire had started, according to the La Verdad de Murcia newspaper, saying:
"Mummy, I love you, we're going to die."
The woman had gone out with her partner and some friends from the nearby town of Caravaca de la Cruz, according to BBC.
The fire was believed to have originated on the nightclub's first floor, according to Diego Seral, the national police spokesman.
Over 40 firefighters and 12 emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene to manage the fire and its aftermath.
The mayor of Murcia, Jose Ballesta, declared three days of mourning for the city, expressing deep regret over the tragic accident and extending condolences to those affected.
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