BREAKING Smoke was seen coming from a building and rubble scattered in Toledo Street following an explosion in downtown Madrid, Spain.
A loud explosion on Wednesday rocked Madrid city in Spain. The city Mayor said at least two people have died in the blast. Initial information suggests that the blast was likely caused by a gas leak, Reuters reported. Smoke was seen coming from a building and rubble scattered in Toledo Street following an explosion in downtown Madrid, Spain. Following the explosion, it partially destroyed a six-floor-tall building flanked by a school and a nursing home in the center of Spain's capital. It is not clear what caused the blast.
Images and footage shared on social media showed a tower of smoke coming out from the six-story building and rubble scattered in Toledo Street, near the city center. Emergency crews could be seen aiding several people on the ground in video aired by Spanish public broadcaster.
The school nearby was empty, according to TVE, because classes had not resumed yet following a record snowfall in the Spanish capital on January 9.
In a tweet, the Madrid regional emergency service said that rescue teams, firefighters and police were working in a central area of the Spanish capital following the explosion.
Leire Reparaz, an area resident, told The Associated Press that she heard a loud explosion some minutes before 3 pm local when 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 it was from the school. We went up the stairs to the top of our building and we could see the structure of the building and lots of grey smoke,” the 24-year-old Madrid resident said.
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