At least 10 people have lost their lives and others have wounded following a fire at a care home near Zaragoza, in the northeastern of Spain.
The emergency services reported that the fire broke out in the town of Villafranca de Ebro on Friday morning, while the officials stated that around 82 people were living in the house at that time.
Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in Aragon region told the reporters that the fire intensified in one of the rooms.
Aragon’s regional president, Jorge Azcon, also addressed that all the victims were elderly residents of the Jardines de Villafranca care home, which provides housing for individuals with mental health conditions.
The mayor of Villafranca de Ebro, Volga Gamiz, further reported that, "My husband went in to get people out. You couldn't even breathe because of the smoke."
Witnesses reported minimal fire damage to the single-storey building, with smoke inhalation believed to be the primary cause of the high number of deaths.
Authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
The Spanish government paid condolences to the victims and addressed to look after those in hospital and investigation into the cause of fire.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez also expressed his shock and sorrow over the tragedy.
To note, similar fire incident happened 9 years ago in retirement home of Zaragoza area which claimed 9 lives.
