Noa de la Torre Valencia

Valencia

Updated Sunday, February 25, 2024-01:24

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The Government Delegation reported late on Friday that the bodies found inside the apartments of the burned-out residential block in Valencia were nine.

That is, not 10 as had been said hours before, although one person was still listed as missing.

It was not until this Saturday morning that the balance was updated again: the fatalities finally amounted to a dozen.

The dance of figures, according to the sources consulted, is actually explained by the poor condition of the corpses, subjected for hours to the pressure of the fire, which in a matter of minutes advanced along the entire façade of the 14-story tower and then Jump to the second building in the

Campanar neighborhood complex.

What's more, if the first flames appeared on the balcony of one of the apartments around 5:30 p.m. - for reasons that are still unknown - the fire was not considered controlled and extinguished until Friday morning.

The flames were practically active for more than 10 hours.

Hence, the work of forensic experts now faces the complexity of identifying each and every one of the remains of the deceased victims.

As confirmed yesterday by the head of the Valencia firefighters,

Enrique Chisbert

, in reality it is almost completely ruled out that the number of deaths could increase.

The 10 bodies

correspond to the ten missing people on the lists that the authorities managed until the last moment.

That is why the balance of victims is considered almost closed.

Now, the scenario left by the fire - with a huge amount of debris - does not exactly facilitate the work of identifying the bodies.

For now, the forensic experts at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Valencia have identified only the remains of three deceased.

The relatives of the victims have already left

DNA

samples

, with which it is expected to compare the rest of the corpses for correct identification.

"We want it to be done with complete guarantee so that families can say goodbye as they deserve and as appropriate to their loved ones," said the Government delegate in the Valencian Community,

Pilar Bernabé

, after confirming the final number of deaths.

The investigators, however, have to do this with the information provided by the firefighters about the locations of the victims' remains, in which floors and rooms they were found.

We must not forget, for example, that four members of the same family died locked in a bathroom, asphyxiated by smoke, after saying goodbye to their relatives by telephone.

Bernabé guaranteed an "inch by inch" search, in the same way that the fire chief assured that all the apartments in the Campanar complex had already been visited and inspected.

AUTOPSIES

According to the

Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community

, once the forensic reports are complete, they will have to be sent to the Court of Instruction number 10 of Valencia, which was the one that ordered the autopsies to be carried out last Friday after the lifting of the first bodies.

The court's investigation, in any case, has been declared secret to facilitate the investigations.

Bernabé pointed out yesterday that it is still too early to talk about the victims' funerals.

The number of bodies found "corresponds to the number of people we have as untraceable," so he stated that he is confident that "they correspond and that no more will be found."

According to the delegate, this list of 10 people coincides both with the complaints that have been received from relatives and with the list prepared by the National Police itself.

For now, they have already decided to group together in an association of victims to channel requests for aid if they finally have to legally liquidate the community of owners.

This was explained yesterday by the president of the community,

Emilio Verdejo

, who assured that he is waiting for the technicians' report "to know if the community continues, because the building will continue."

In other words, if it had to be demolished, the community of owners would cease to exist and become an association of those affected by the fire.

In this meeting, held in the same hotel where the neighbors who have lost their home have been relocated, the Councilor for Human Resources, Julia Climent, announced that starting next week they will be able to enter the apartments that the City Council has enabled. .

They will be able to stay "as long as necessary."

Also the second deputy mayor,

Juanma Badenas

, asked those affected to go to the single point of care that the City Council has established to advise them.

"What they want is for us not to forget about them," she said.