Apartment block fire near Barcelona kills five

A fire at an apartment block near Barcelona has killed five people and injured four others, the fire service of Spain's northeastern Catalonia region said on Tuesday.

The blaze broke out on Monday evening in a storage room of the five-storey building in the town of Manlleu, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Barcelona, the service said in a statement.

"Five people died this evening and four others sustained minor injuries," the firefighters said. Spanish media reported that the victims were young people who had gathered on the top floor.

"For reasons unknown, the people inside were unable to get out" of the storage room and "nothing could be done to save their lives" despite the intervention of firefighters and ambulances, the service said.

Police have opened an investigation.