MADRID (AP) – A strong explosion apparently caused by a gas leak has 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 images shared on social media showed a smoke tower coming out of the six-story building and ruins scattered on Toledo Street, near the city center. Emergency crews were seen helping several people on the ground.
Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida confirmed the two deaths on 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.
Martinez Almeida also said some minor damage had been identified at a nearby school. Spanish public broadcaster TVE said the school was believed to be empty because classes had not yet 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 after the blast.
Leire Reparaz, a resident of the area, told The Associated Press that she heard a loud explosion a few minutes before three in the afternoon as she was heading to her home, near the Puerta de Toledo, a local landmark.
“We didn’t know where the sound came from. We all thought he was from school. We went up 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 from Madrid.
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AP photographer Paul White contributed to this report.