Flamengo football club fire: Youth team players among 10 killed at Rio De Janeiro training ground

One of the nation’s biggest clubs – whose former players include Brazilian stars Ronaldinho, Bebeto and Romario – says it is ‘in mourning’

A fire at a football training ground for a youth team in Rio de Janeiro has killed 10 people and injured at least three others.

Members of Flamengo football club’s youth side are believed to be among the dead, according to Brazilian media.

Former players at the club include Brazilian stars Ronaldinho, Bebeto and Romario.

The fire happened shortly after 5am on Friday at the Urubu’s Nest training centre in the capital city, with an accommodation block completely destroyed by the blaze.

Players aged between 14 and 17 are understood to have been sleeping in the dormitory, Brazilian TV channel Globo said.

None of those killed have been formally identified.

Three injured teenagers, aged 14, 15 and 16 according to a fire official, were taken to hospital for treatment.

Globo TV showed footage from a helicopter with smoke emerging from a charred area.

There is no word yet on the cause of the fire.

People wait for information outside Flamengo’s training complex (Reuters) (REUTERS)

Flamengo, one of Brazil’s most popular clubs, plays in the country’s top league – Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A. Its youth development programme is for promising players in their early teens.

The state-of-the-art training centre was expanded two months ago, according to Reuters.

Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior tweeted: “Pray for everyone,” while Flamengo’s official Twitter account said the club was “in mourning”.

Family members, friends and neighbours gathered outside the complex in hopes of getting information.

Joao Pedro da Cruz, a 16-year-old player in the Flamengo youth league, said he decided not to stay the night at the facility on Thursday because the team wasn’t going to train on Friday. Instead, he went to a friend’s house.

“The majority of them (the team) stayed, my friends stayed,” he said. “Today I woke up and heard this terrible news.”

Additional reporting by agencies