Valencia falls silent to recall housing block fire victims
VALENCIA, Spain: Hundreds of people observed five minutes of silence in the Mediterranean port city of Valencia on Saturday to honour the 10 victims of a huge fire that ripped through a residential high-rise two days earlier.
As the clock struck midday, the large crowd gathered outside city hall fell silent, some wearing dark glasses to mask red eyes, while others wiped away tears as they recalled the victims of the terrible blaze that began just before nightfall on Thursday.
At the end, onlookers broke into spontaneous applause as officials embraced family members who lost loved ones in the tragedy, their faces drawn with exhaustion, shock and sorrow.
“There are no words to describe the pain this city feels at this moment, and all Valencians are sharing in this pain with this moment of silence and respect,” said mayor Maria Jose Catala.
By Friday evening, rescuers had found nine bodies, but discovered another on Saturday morning, officials said as the city observed three days of mourning over the tragedy.
The fire devastated a 14-storey high-rise and an adjoining 10storey block which together housed 138 flats.
“It was just horrifying. I live in that neighbourhood and it was very close, I saw the whole thing from the street,” 60-year-old Concha Lopez told AFP outside the town hall, her voice breaking as she wiped away tears.
“These people have everything.”
The blaze spread like lightning, the flames quickly visible in every window, sending clouds of black smoke high into the air over the western Campanar district, dramatic footage showed.
“I get goosebumps just thinking about it, and it happened again during the minute of silence,” said 75-year-old Sara Navia.
“It’s just terrible. We’ve got to help these people in any way we can because they’ve been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.”
Adrian Sobrino Moral, a 33year-old factory worker, said it was hard to take in just how much the victims had lost in such a short space of time.