At least three people were killed today, Wednesday, by an explosion in a building in the center of the Spanish capital, Madrid.
Another person was considered missing in the explosion, which officials said was caused by a gas leak.
The walls of at least the last four floors of the building in the “La Latina” neighborhood collapsed.
Government representative Jose Manuel Franco told Spanish public television that the explosion occurred while workers were repairing the central heating of the building.
Franco confirmed that the accident was caused by a “gas explosion”, adding that three people were killed and another missing, and that the toll may rise later.
He added that at least one person was seriously injured, but none of the residents of a nearby nursing home building was hurt.
Hundreds of police and relief personnel were deployed in the street surrounding the building, which the local church said were priests working in the area.
The Mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez Almeida, confirmed that initial investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
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