At least three people dead after explosion brings down building in central Madrid
- An official for the Catholic Church said one church volunteer was missing
- Initial investigations suggested that the blast had been caused by a gas leak
A powerful explosion apparently caused by a gas leak ripped the facade off a residential building in central Madrid on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring at least 11 more, according to the city’s mayor.
Images from the scene showed the walls on the top four or five storeys of the residential building in the heart of the La Latina neighbourhood had been blown out, with vast quantities of debris spreading far and wide.
Government representative Jose Manuel Franco told Spain’s public television that the blast occurred as a team of workmen were repairing the building’s boiler.
Speaking at the scene, Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said an 85-year-old woman had died along with a man whose age was not immediately clear, while the third victim was still “under the rubble”.
Another 11 people were injured, one of whom was in serious condition. Church sources told AFP the victim was a recently-ordained priest.