Rabat – The Moroccan Consulate in Barcelona has confirmed the tragic death of five Moroccan teenagers aged between 14 and 17 in a building fire on Monday in Manlleu, Spain.
The victims were in a storage room in the building’s attic when the fire broke out, the consulate said.
They were all students enrolled in various secondary schools in Manellu. No details have been disclosed about the identities of the victims.
Morocco’s consulate general in the region said it is working with local authorities to repatriate the bodies.
The Catalan emergency services believe the presence of mattresses and easily flammable objects may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
Salvador Illa, the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, extended his condolences to the victims’ families, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy.
Arnau Rovira, the mayor of Manelleu, declared three days of mourning.
This tragic news comes as Moroccans continue to be Spain’s largest community of foreign residents. Recent data indicate that the number of Moroccans affiliated with social security in Spain has reached 373,436 in 2025.
This makes residents from Morocco the largest foreign community in terms of social security contributions in Spain, ahead of Romanians and Colombians.
The number of Moroccan contributors increased by 26,839 in 2025, strengthening the Moroccan diaspora’s position as one of the fastest-growing in the European country.