CARE HOME HORROR
At least 10 dead after inferno rips through care home in Spain as residents slept
Some 82 people were inside the home at the time of the fire
AT least 10 people have been tragically killed after a fire ripped through a Spanish care home as residents slept.
The blaze broke out around 5am this morning at the residence in Villafranca de Ebro, about 30 minutes from the northern city of Zaragoza.
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Some 82 people were inside the nursing home at the time of the fire, El Pais reports.
Two people have also been left critically injured - while the others at Jardines de Villafranca miraculously managed to escape.
It is not yet clear whether the dead and injured were residents or workers.
The local mayor, Volga Ramírez, told a radio station the fire may have started "in a mattress".
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Ramírez also stressed there "cannot be more bodies" as "everyone" was evacuated.
She told the radio station RNE: "Once all the smoke had cleared, we put them back inside because the firefighters told us it was safe."
Firefighters are still at the scene alongside police, Civil Protection, social workers, and paramedics.
An investigation is now underway into how the blaze started.
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Aragón president Jorge Azcón said in a statement: "Shocked by the tragic fire at the nursing home in Villafranca de Ebro that claimed the lives of 10 people.
"We are suspending all events as a sign of mourning.
"My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased."
Although it opened in 2008 as a dedicated OAP retirement home, Jardines de Villafranca now specialises in working with people who have mental health problems.
Its official website says: "We work with the goal of caring for people in a family environment, adapting to the needs of each individual.
"We promote and maintain, as much as possible, the autonomy and well-being of the resident."
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