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Firefighters carry out a covered body on a stretcher after a fire in a nightclub in Murcia, Spain in the early hours of Sunday Oct. 1, 2023. At least 13 people were killed in a fire in a Spanish nightclub on Sunday morning, authorities said, with fears the toll could still rise as rescue workers sift through the debris.The fire broke out in the two-storey "Teatre" nightclub, also called "Fonda Milagros", in the city of Murcia in southeastern Spain in early hours of the morning. (AP Photo/Alfonso Duran)

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In this photo provided by Bomberos/Ayuntamiento de Murcia, firefighters work outside a nightclub on fire in Murcia, south-eastern Spain in the early hours of Sunday Oct. 1, 2023. At least 9 people are believed to have died in the fire with Emergency services continuing to search for missing persons. (Bomberos/ayuntamiento de Murcia, via AP)

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At least 13 people were killed at a nightclub fire in Spain’s southeastern city of Murcia

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 10:40 PM ET Oct. 01, 2023 PUBLISHED October 1, 2023 @10:40 PM

MADRID, Spain (AP) — A fire broke out in a nightclub in the southeastern Spanish city of Murcia on Sunday, killing 13 people and injuring several others, authorities said.

The fire started around 6 a.m. in the popular Teatre nightclub and quickly tore through the venue, according to Spain's state news agency EFE.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.

A video shared by Murcia’s fire service showed firefighters trying to control flames inside the nightclub. Police and emergency services worked to secure the interior of the club to avoid a possible collapse and were trying to locate and identify the bodies.

Officials said the death toll could increase.

The city council declared three days of mourning with flags flown at half-staff on public buildings throughout the region of Murcia.