At least three people were killed and several others injured after a gas explosion ripped through a town hall in central Madrid and rained down masonry in the street below.
Initial investigations indicate that the explosion, which took place just before 3pm on Wednesday, took place during a boiler repair work.
The building, in the vicinity of Toledo, near the Plaza Mayor, belongs to the parish church of La Virgen de la Paloma and contains shelter and meeting rooms for priests.
The residents of a care home next door were evacuated without injury, while staff and children in the congregation school on the other side of the building also escaped unharmed.
José Manuel Franco, the delegate of the central government in the Madrid region, confirmed the cause and death toll to Spanish TV later on Wednesday afternoon.
“I can confirm that it was a gas explosion that happened during a boiler repair job,” he told RTVE. “Three people are dead and one person is missing.”
Madrid’s emergency services said six people had minor injuries, one had moderate injuries and a person with multiple injuries was in a serious condition in hospital.
The mayor of the city, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, said firefighters were investigating the damaged building to determine if the explosion had damaged the neighboring nursing home.
The school issued a statement confirming that no one was injured and that “all children and staff are well”.
Leire Reparaz, a local resident, told the Associated Press that she heard a loud explosion just before 3pm when she was on her way to her home near the Puerta de Toledo.
“We did not know where the sound was coming from,” she said. “We all thought it came from school. We went up the stairs to the top of our building and we could see the building’s structure and lots of gray smoke. ”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez tweeted his condolences, writing: “We are sadly mourning deaths after the explosion in caledo Toledo. I have just spoken to the Mayor of Madrid, @AlmeidaPP_, to express my support and solidarity. All our love and sympathy to the families of the dead and wounded. ”
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