At least 17 people were injured, most of them minor, in a strong explosion that shook a four-story building on Friday that was being renovated in the center of Madrid, according to the Spanish authorities, after which the teams of rescuers were looking for people who might be trapped inside.
Four people were taken to hospital, one of them in serious condition, Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida said, adding that the cause of the explosion was not yet clear.
The mayor pointed out that some type of work was being carried out in the building where the explosion occurred, located in the luxurious Salamanca district.
“We cannot confirm that there are fatalities, we are working to see if there are people who are missing inside the building,” he told the Telemadrid television channel.
The spokeswoman for the Madrid emergency service, Gema Martín, said that a school located in front of the building was not damaged and that it was not necessary to evacuate the minors present inside.
Video via: Reuters