A blaze has killed ten people at the training ground of one of Brazil’s biggest football teams
The fire engulfed a dormitory at Ninho de Urubu, the youth team training centre of Flamengo in Rio De Janeiro, at around 5am local time on Friday morning. The fire was under control by 7.30am.
The ten victims are yet to be identified but have all been reported to be young athletes by local media. the dormitory is known to have been home to players aged 14 to 17.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
A tweet from Flamengo on Friday morning said the club was “in mourning”.
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) February 8, 2019
Tributes poured in from the world of football. Former player, who is now at Real Madrid, tweeted “Such sad news. Pray for everyone. Strength strength, strength.”
Que notícia triste! Oremos por todos! Força, força e força 😢
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) February 8, 2019
Clubs including AC Millan, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have all offered condolences.
The thoughts of everyone at #ACMilan are with the victims of the @Flamengo fire and all those affected by this enormous tragedy
Il nostro pensiero va alle vittime dell'incendio scoppiato nel centro sportivo del Flamengo. Ci stringiamo alle loro famiglie#ForçaFlamengo! ❤🖤 pic.twitter.com/wBZfpHOfFn— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 8, 2019
We are very sorry for the young players who lost their lives in fire at @Flamengo's training center.
We deeply share the sorrow of you. 🙏
— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) February 8, 2019
We would like to express our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the fire at @Flamengo's training centre, and send our best wishes to those injured. https://t.co/z1akVXdogk
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 8, 2019
Official Announcement: Flamengo.#RealMadridhttps://t.co/5jvKE51nzM
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 8, 2019
Flamengo finished eighth in the Brazilian Série A in 2018.
