The victims of a huge fire that ripped through an apartment block in the Spanish city of Valencia were mourned on Saturday as authorities said the death toll had risen to 10.
The blaze, fanned by strong winds, broke out on Thursday evening in the affluent El Campanar district.
Police had revised the number of dead to nine from 10 on Friday in the process of identifying the bodies in the building, but confirmed a 10th fatal victim had been found on Saturday.
At midday on Saturday hundreds of people gathered outside Valencia's City Hall for a moment of silence as flags flew at half-mast.
The fire had spread rapidly through the 14-storey tower containing 138 flats.
Fifteen people, including a seven-year-old child and seven firefighters, were treated for injuries of varying degrees but their lives were not in danger.
About 100 survivors were housed in hotels on Friday night.
“It was just horrifying. I live in that neighbourhood and it was very close, I saw the whole thing from the street,” said 60-year-old Concha Lopez, speaking outside the city hall on Saturday, her voice breaking as she wiped away tears.
“These people have lost everything.”
At the city's San Miguel y San Sebastian church, Catholic priest Juan Andres Talens said people had been praying for those affected.
“We are mourning,” Father Talens said as a mass took place inside the historic church.
Faustino Yanguas, of the Valencia fire brigade, said the cladding material used on the facade of the building would have to be investigated.
It was, he said, “a factor that contributed a lot” to the lightning spread of the flames – as were the strong winds, with gusts of up to 60kph (37mph) at the time the blaze broke out.
The fears that polyurethane cladding might have exacerbated the Valencia fire recalled the 2017 tragedy at London's Grenfell Tower, when 72 people died when the 24-storey high-rise caught fire.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Fixtures
Wednesday
4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)
6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)
8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)
BABYLON
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Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
