Legionnaires' sweeps Spanish city

People wait in Murcia's hospitals for treatment

A second person has died of Legionnaires' disease in an outbreak which has swept the city of Murcia in southern Spain.

The number of confirmed cases of the disease has risen to 225, said health officials on Friday, but nearly 600 have severe flu-like symptoms typical of the disease. Twelve of them are in intensive care.

Officials said the second person who died was a 67-year-old man who was also suffering from cancer. A man aged 65 died on Monday.

The sources of the outbreak have been traced to six buildings, including the regional health ministry.

Flu symptoms

The infection is spread by the inhalation of water-borne bacteria which thrive in air-conditioning systems.

Engineers have declared the affected systems safe

The health authorities in Murcia say the systems in the affected buildings, which also include the city's biggest department store and the central offices of a bank, have been given the all-clear following checks.

Initially they had refused to identify the source for fear of sparking public panic.

The disease usually begins with a headache, pain in the muscles and a general feeling of being unwell, followed by a high fever and shaking chills.

The regional health minister said that he expected more new cases to occur in the coming days.