MADRID (AP) – A powerful explosion apparently caused by a gas leak partially destroyed a residential building in the center of the Spanish capital on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring at least two more, according to officials.
The first images and footage distributed on social networks showed a smoke tower coming out of the six-storey building and debris scattered on Toledo Street, near the city center. Emergency crews could be seen helping several people on the ground.
Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida confirmed the two deaths to the Telemadrid news channel and said the initial assessment was that the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
A nearby nursing home was evacuated, although no injuries were initially reported among residents, Martinez Almeida said. He said residents were being taken to a hotel across the street.
Martínez Almeida also said that some minor damage was identified in a nearby school. Spain’s public broadcaster, TVE, said the school was believed to be empty because classes had not resumed after a record snowfall in Madrid on January 9th.
In a tweet, the Madrid regional emergency service said rescue teams, firefighters and police were working in a central area of the Spanish capital following the blast.
Leire Reparaz, a resident of the area, told The Associated Press that she heard a loud explosion a few minutes before 15:00 local time, when she was heading to her house, near Puerta de Toledo, a local landmark.
“I did not know where the sound came from. We all thought it was from school. We climbed the stairs to the top of our building and we could see the structure of the building and a lot of gray smoke “, said the 24-year-old resident of Madrid.
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AP photographer Paul White contributed to this report.