NEED TO KNOW
- A 52-year-old man has been killed and at least 25 others injured following an explosion in Madrid, Spain
- The incident occurred in a building next to a bar on Manuel Maroto Street in Puente Vallecas, Madrid, at around 3:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 13
- A fire department spokesperson told Spanish newspaper El País that the explosion was caused by a concentration of gases primarily affecting the ground floor of the building
At least one person has been killed and 25 others were injured in an explosion in Spain, according to reports.
The explosion occurred near a bar in a building on Manuel Maroto Street in Puente Vallecas, Madrid, at around 3:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 13, according to initial reports from the Madrid Emergency Information Office (MEIO) on X.
The incident left 25 people injured, with three in potential critical condition, officials shared on X. They were transported to local hospitals to be treated.
One man was found dead from the blast the following morning, authorities also shared. The victim is believed to be a 52-year-old man, the National Police confirmed in a post on X.
“Three #CanineGuides of @police specialized in the search for people and human remains … This morning they have located, together with the #Firefighters, the body of a 52-year-old man,” said the police.
The Spanish newspaper El País reported that the explosion occurred on the ground floor of an inhabited three-story building next to a bar, which was recently converted into a home six months ago. The blast impacted the adjacent bar, the Peruvian ‘Mis Tesoros,’ according to the outlet.
“…A relative led the Vallecas police to suspect that someone might be buried beneath the rubble. [Authorities] rescued the body of a 52-year-old man from a basement under a large amount of sand and debris,” the newspaper reported, translated from Spanish.
Images from the incident show firefighters on the scene searching through the rubble of the building following the explosion.
A fire department spokesperson told El País that the explosion was caused by a concentration of gases primarily affecting the ground floor. The exact origin of the blast is being investigated by authorities, per the outlet.
The explosion blew open the front gate of the building and collided with a passing car, injuring its occupants. Around 18 firefighter crews responded to the scene and searched for several hours for victims, while residents were evacuated from the area following the blast, El País reported.
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The Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Inmaculada Sanz, who was on the scene, told the outlet, “At this time, it seems that the possibility of anyone trapped has been ruled out. A significant portion of the rubble has been cleared, and firefighter dogs have been working in the area.”
An estimated nine homes were affected in the blast, including the ground-floor business that was most severely affected and another building in the building’s interior courtyard.
PEOPLE has reached out to the National Police and MEIO for further comment, but did not immediately hear back
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