Published 22:10 IST, January 20th 2021
Madrid explosion: Two dead after building collapses due to gas leak
A powerful explosion, reported to be caused by a gas leak, led to one building in central Madrid to collapse. Mayor confirmed 2 deaths, 2 injuries.
- World News
- 2 min read
A powerful explosion, reported to be caused by a gas leak, led to one building in central Madrid, Spain, to collapse on January 20. According to Associated Press, Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida confirmed two deaths and two injuries as he visited the site. He said that initial assessment was that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. Following the incident, emergency crews are aiding several people in the ground.
While speaking to Spain’s TVE, Madrid general vicar, Avelino Revilla said that one person linked to the Catholic Church occupying part of the building was still missing. Almeida, on the other hand, informed that a fire started inside the building is making it more difficult for rescuers and firefighters to look for any other possible survivors. He also added that a nearby nursing home was evacuated although no injuries have so far been reported among the residents.
‘Mild damage’ in nearby school
Madrid’s mayor went to to also inform that some mild damage had been identified in a nearby school. Almeida said that there were people inside the school building, but they suffered no more than “scratches”. A local resident told AP that she had heard a loud explosion when she was heading to her home near the Puerta de Toledo, a local market.
Leire Reparaz said, “We didn’t know where the sound came from. We all thought it was from the school. We went up the stairs to the top of our building and we could see the structure of the building and lots of grey smoke”.
(Inputs & Images: AP)
Updated 22:11 IST, January 20th 2021
