The Spanish Eye has launched a fundraiser to help one of the victims of the devastating fire in Torremolinos.
Taspia Akhter, 18, has been left penniless after spending her life savings on a kebab restaurant – only for it to be burnt down a month later by criminals.
DONATE TO TASPIA’S GOFUNDME HERE
Her business is one of seven to have been destroyed by the inferno in the Costa del Sol resort on August 24, 2025.
Taspia spent around €73,000 transferring the lease and buying the contents of the bar, plus a total renovation.
She was in the process of getting insurance when the blaze happened.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: The expats ‘left with nothing’ after ‘mafia set fire’ to bars in Torremolinos
The Spanish Eye is raising funds to help her financially cover and survive over the next weeks and months after being left with nothing.
Most of the other businesses on the strip have launched separate GoFundMe appeals.
Taspia told the Spanish Eye: ‘I have lost everything, I put all my savings, around €73,000, into buying and renovating the place and I was in the process of getting insurance but I was too late – in fact I had an appointment today with the insurance people.
‘I found out that I won’t get a cent. The mayor told Spanish press she would pay for the rebuild but all I’ve been told is they will provide bins for the rubble.
‘Even if I could rebuild it I don’t think I could run it again due to the trauma.
‘My dream was to become a pilot and the restaurant was going to help pay for training, which is around €120,000, even my sister who is only 16 invested in the restaurant, now I have nothing, I’m completely devastated.’
Akhter, originally from Bangladesh and who ‘grew up around the world’ and speaks perfect English, said she was painting the restaurant when the fire began a few doors down.
‘We read online that there were reports the fire started in our restaurant but that is totally untrue, we were painting our place when it happened, there were some strange sounds and then a big bang, my little brother was with me completely terrified.’
Akhter confirmed that a few nights before that she saw men running down the street with blood ‘spurting out of their necks’ following the stabbing incident.
She added: ‘I don’t want to say anything else because the police have told me not to speak to anyone, they said this is a really serious investigation potentially involving the mafia, it’s really scary.’
DONATE TO TASPIA’S GOFUNDME HERE
