Five people died in a fire at an apartment building in Manlleu, near Barcelona, Spain, while two British skiers were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, and two men were sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to massacre Jews in Manchester, according to reports from multiple news sources. These events, occurring on or around February 17, 2026, highlight a range of tragedies and legal developments across Europe.
In Spain, the fire broke out in a five-story building on Monday night, with the blaze originating in a storage room. Emergency services confirmed the deaths, and at least five others were injured. The cause of the fire was not yet known, according to Sky News.
Meanwhile, in the French Alps, Stuart Leslie and Shaun Overy were identified as the British skiers who died in an avalanche at Val d'Isere. A French national also perished in the snow slide. Meteo-France had issued a red avalanche warning the day before the tragedy, Sky News reported. A friend of Mr. Leslie, Craig Hunter, described him as someone who "lived life to the 'absolute maximum' and 'squeezed everything out of every moment'," according to a tribute posted on Facebook.
Across the English Channel, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein received life sentences for plotting to massacre Jews in Manchester. Saadaoui, who had previously worked as a restaurateur, pledged allegiance to Islamic State. The Guardian reported that the plot was foiled by an undercover sting operation.
In other news, a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, prompted an outpouring of support from neighboring communities. Jim Caruso, upon hearing the news, traveled 700 miles to offer comfort, stating, "I wanted to be here to bring some level of comfort...to cry with them," according to The Guardian.
Additionally, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli settler attacks were driving Palestinian Bedouins from their homes in the occupied West Bank, as new Israeli policies expanded annexation plans.
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