Birthday party turns tragic
\nA fire in nightclubs in Murcia, Spain, kills at least 13, with rescue efforts ongoing, cause under investigation
\nMADRID
\nAt least 13 people have been killed in a fire in adjoining nightclubs in Murcia in southeast Spain, emergency services said on Sunday, adding that rescuers were still searching for people unaccounted for after the blaze.
\nOutside the club, young people hugged, looking shocked as they waited for information after the fire that broke out in the early hours in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city.
\n\u201cI 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,\u201d one survivor, who was not identified, said.
\n\u201cFive family members and two friends are missing.\u201d
\nDiego Seral, of Spain\u2019s National Police, told reporters the dead were found in the Fonda nightclub, one of three adjoining clubs, which had sustained the majority of fire damage, including the collapse of its roof, he added.
\nThe collapse was making it difficult to locate victims, and it was difficult to pinpoint yet where exactly the fire started, he said.
\nThe identification of the bodies would take time, he said. The emergency services gave the death toll, which has risen steadily throughout the day, as 13. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.
\nEarlier, Murcia\u2019s Mayor Jose Ballesta told reporters seven bodies had been found in the same area of the first floor, where the fire broke out.
\nA spokesperson for the Teatre nightclub, Maria Dolores Albellan, told reporters the fire originated in the neighbouring club, La Fonda, before spreading to the two adjoining clubs.
\nSpanish media reported several birthday celebrations were taking place at the time.
\nBallesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died. Flags were lowered to half-mast outside Murcia\u2019s City Hall.
\nFootage released by Murcia\u2019s fire service showed firefighters working to control flames inside the nightclub. The fire had destroyed part of the roof, the footage showed.
\n\u201cWe are devastated,\u201d Ballesta said on Spanish TV channel 24h, adding rescuers were still searching for several people reported missing.
\nBallesta told 24h the fire started at around 6 a.m and had now been brought under control.
\nFour people have been treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Birthday party turns tragic A fire in nightclubs in Murcia, Spain, kills at least 13, with rescue efforts ongoing, cause under investigation MADRID At least 13 people have been killed in a fire in adjoining nightclubs in Murcia in southeast Spain, emergency services said on Sunday, adding that rescuers were still searching for people unaccounted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-359393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n