In tragic news over the weekend, 13 people died in a fire that broke out at Fonda Milagros, a nightclub in Murcia, Spain.
According to Spanish news outlet SUR, the fire began at around 6AM on Sunday morning and also affected adjacent clubs, Golden and Teatre. The cause of the blaze has not yet been identified by investigators.
The following day, authorities were still searching for five more individuals, all of whom have now been found. Four of the five missing have been treated for smoke inhalation injuries.
Today, a new report from the BBC revealed that Fonda Milagros and Teatre had been ordered to close in January of 2022. The company that owns all three conjoined clubs eventually obtained a license for Teatre. However, it remains unclear why Fonda Milagros had been able to continue operating.
In an interview with Las Mañanas de RNE, Murcia City Council’s Vice Mayor, Rebeca Pérez said, “We still have no indication as to whether the premises had all the safety regulations. All municipal services are already working on the investigation. Yesterday the priority was rescuing bodies.”
Murcia’s fire department wrote on X yesterday, “The early morning of October 1 will be forever marked in our hearts, no one in the history of Murcia Firefighters remembers a service of these characteristics.”
A grand total of 100 emergency responders and 22 vehicles rushed to the scene to put out the fire and rescue missing persons.
The fire in Murcia marks Spain’s deadliest nightclub fire since 43 people were killed at a club in Zaragoza in 1990. As a result, Murcia Mayor José Ballesta has declared three days of official mourning for those lost in the fire.
Featured image from Nanana365 via X.
