Spanish authorities in the southeastern city of Murcia said on Monday that a nightclub, site of a fatal weekend fire, had already been ordered to shut in 2022. 

The fire broke out at the nightclub in the early hours of Sunday, killing at least 13 people in the country's deadliest nightclub fire in decades.

The city council of Murcia had announced that the fire was extinguished at around 10 a.m. local time (0800 UTC) on Sunday, after 12 fire engines and 40 firefighters had been at the scene.

According to media reports, the fire also spread to two other nearby nightclubs, leaving at least 24 injured. On Monday, authorities said that two people were still missing.

Murcia City Hall announced three days of mourning, as well as a minute of silence on Monday.

What was behind the fire?

The cause of the blaze is not yet known. Jose Ballesta, the mayor of Murcia, said it broke out at around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT).

Francisco Jimenez, a representative of the central government in Murcia, said the fire appeared to have spread through the air-conditioning vents, "which is why it spread so quickly."

The clubs had not had permits to open to the public for the past 20 months, officials said. 

'Left without words'

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X on Sunday: "My love and solidarity with the victims and families of the tragic fire that occurred this morning in a nightclub in Murcia." He thanked emergency services for their work, too.

"We are devastated," Murcia Mayor Jose Ballesta said on Spanish TV channel 24h.

The head of the Murcia regional government, Fernando Lopez Miras, echoed Ballesta's sentiments, adding: "There is nothing we can say to console relatives and friends of the victims. You are left without words."

fb, rm, rmt/dj (AFP, Reuters)