Spanish justice announced Tuesday, October 3, the opening of an investigation into “manslaughter” after the violent fire that occurred in a nightclub in Murcia, in the southeast of the country. The tragedy left thirteen people dead and several injured on the night of September 30 to October 1.
An investigating judge from the city court “will be responsible for directing the investigation with a view to clarifying the facts and determining, where applicable, criminal responsibilities,” the court said in a press release. This magistrate is “currently awaiting the finalization of the identification” of the victims and the results of the “autopsy” which will allow “to inform the court on the causes and circumstances of the deaths”, continued the judge. instance.
The municipality announced Monday that the establishment had been the subject, since last year, of an administrative closure order which had not been applied. The managers, for their part, claimed to be in good standing. “No one informed us that there was no longer a [valid] license,” assured their lawyer, Francisco Adan.
According to the Attorney General of the Murcia region, José Luis Diaz Manzanera, the penalties in this case could be up to nine years in prison, given the high number of victims.
The investigation will have to determine “whether there was a lack of preventive measures” against the fires, he told the local newspaper La Opinion de Murcia. “There could also have been a short circuit which would not have been caused by a lack” of prevention, he added.