Two construction workers died on Friday in a strong explosion that occurred on a building under construction in the center of Madrid.
According to the emergency services, the explosion took place around 1:30 p.m. in a four-storey building located in the very chic Salamanca district. According to the firefighters, the bodies of two workers were discovered in the rubble of the apartment blown up by the explosion, after several hours of research.
The two men, a 21-year-old Spaniard and a 27-year-old Honduran, “were working on the renovation of the building”, told reporters the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who came to the scene of the blast.
A possible gas leak
They were found “in the patio” of the apartment affected by the explosion, added José Luis Martínez-Almeida, specifying that in view of the first elements collected by the firefighters, the explosion could have been caused by a leak. gas.
According to him, it was by wanting to go and cut off the gas in the apartment, after having felt a leak, that the two victims would have found themselves trapped in the rubble. The collapse of the building was “very brutal” and “immediate”, underlined the mayor of Madrid.
17 injured
According to an AFP journalist on the spot, the building saw its windows blown out by the explosion. Many emergency vehicles have been deployed to the area.
According to the latest report released by the emergency services, 17 injured were taken care of. Four of them were transferred to hospitals, one of them in serious condition.