MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 05: Ronaldinho of Rest of the World in action during the Soccer Aid 2016 match in aid of UNICEF at Old Trafford on June 5, 2016 in Manchester, England.
A fire at Brazilian football club Flamengo’s Rio de Janeiro training center has left 10 people dead Friday. Firefighters were called at 2:17 a.m. EST to fight the blaze which had started in their youth club’s sleeping quarters.
At least six of the dead are youth players but only one has been identified. Club officials announced that Christian Esmerio, a 15-year-old goalkeeper, died in the tragedy.
“We are distraught,” Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim said outside the complex to a prayer circle “This is the worst tragedy to happen to the club in its 123 years.” He added: “The most important thing right now is to minimize the suffering of these families.”
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The Rio de Janeiro fire department reported that several others were injured and one is in serious condition.
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“We managed to rescue the victims that were outside,” fire service Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Henaut said. “The place was completely overtaken by fire. As much as we tried to get inside and find people still alive that wasn’t… We only found bodies inside.” “We can’t tell you the cause of the fire, that needs to be investigated,” he added.
The state of the art center was expanded only two months before the blaze occurred. Aerial images show a red and black area, the team’s colors, burnt to the ground. It took over two hours to contain the flames.
The club posted to twitter saying that the team was in mourning. Rio de Janeiro has been hit by tragedies in the last 48 hours. Just Wednesday, six people died due to floods and mudslides after a storm.
Around soccer, condolences were offered. Ronaldinho, a product of the club, wrote: “It is a very big sadness, my thoughts and condolences are with all the family members and the Red-Black nation. Terrible tragedy!!!”
Pele would also say, “My day started with the news of about the training camp of @Flamengo — a place where young ones chase their dreams. It is a sad day for Brazilian football.”
Flamengo’s Saturday game has been postponed.
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