On Sunday morning, a fire broke out at the Fonda Milagros nightclub, better known as La Fonda.

As patrons rushed to escape the packed dancefloors, it spread to neighbouring clubs.

Among the dead were family members celebrating a birthday.

According to La Verdad de Murcia newspaper, one of the birthday party attendees, who was at the club with his cousins and aunt, returned home during the chaos to find one of his cousins had not left.

The cousin’s death has not been confirmed.

It has been confirmed that all those who died were at La Fonda, but 14 people remain unaccounted for. The number of deaths is likely to increase, they warned.

Located in Murcia’s Atalayas area, the fire started around 06:00 (04:00 GMT) at the club.

After nearly 15 hours, it is still unclear what caused it. Murcia’s mayor, Jose Ballesta, told reporters earlier in the day that the fire had started on the first floor.

According to Diego Seral, of the national police, the roof of La Fonda had collapsed, making it difficult to locate victims. When the fire started, a 28-year-old woman sent a voice message to her mother, telling her: “Mummy, I love you, we’re going to die.”

In the nearby town of Caravaca de la Cruz, she had gone out with her partner and some friends. She may have survived, but it is unclear.