Fire at Flamengo soccer training centre in Rio kills 10, firefighters confirm
- Blaze broke out at Ninho do Urubu, a state-of-the-art training centre that opened only two months ago
- Television channel Globo reported that youth players were among the dead
A fire swept through the training centre and lodgings of Rio de Janeiro soccer club Flamengo on Friday, killing 10 people, including members of the club’s youth side, firefighters and news reports said.
At least three youths aged 14 and 15 were injured in the blaze. All three were taken to the hospital, one of them reportedly in a serious condition.
Firefighters said they arrived at the Ninho do Urubu, a state-of-the-art training center that was expanded and opened only two months ago, shortly after 5am (0700 GMT) to find the building engulfed in flames.
Some people had managed to escape, but the ferocity of the blaze prevented firefighters from entering the facility.
“We managed to rescue the victims that were outside,” fire service Lieutentant Colonel Douglas Henaut told reporters. “The place was completely overtaken by fire. As much as we tried to get inside and find people still alive that wasn’t (possible) … We only found bodies inside.”