UPDATES WITH INCREASE IN CASUALTY NUMBER; ADDED MORE INFORMATION, VICTIMS' FAMILIES' COMMENTS, CHANGES IN LEDE AND DECK
By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – A fire broke out in a nightclub in the Spanish city of Murcia early Sunday morning, killing at least 13 people.
Local emergency services say the fire erupted in an area with several nightclubs at around 6 a.m. local time (0400GMT). It took around three hours to completely extinguish the blaze.
Authorities are still going through the badly damaged buildings and say they may find more victims. Since the human remains are charred, they also said identifying the bodies will be difficult and could take some time.
Meanwhile, many friends and family members of those who may have been victims are being offered psychological support as they try to figure out what happened.
Jairo, the father of a missing 28-year-old woman, shared a haunting voice message with the media that his daughter sent after 6 a.m.
“Mommy, I love you, we are going to die,” his daughter said.
This is the deadliest nightclub fire in Spain since 1990, when 43 people were perished in a disco in Zaragoza.
Four people, two women in their 20s and two men in their 40s, were also treated for smoke inhalation.
The Teatre, Golden and La Fonda Milagros nightclubs were all affected. Police say most of the victims were in La Fonda Milagros.
“We are destroyed,” the mayor of Murcia Jose Ballesta told Spanish broadcaster TVE.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.