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Four people killed, 11 injured in powerful gas explosion in Madrid, Spain
Four people died and 11 were injured in a gas explosion that ripped the facade off a church-owned building in central Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday, 20 January 2021, according to the city's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. Madrid Emergency Services confirmed at least 11 people had been injured, one seriously. The explosion took place on Calle de Toledo in the Puerta del Toledo area. These were the living quarters for the local parish priests. They are being treated by the ambulance crews and out of danger. Authorities said four floors of the seven-storey building were affected by the explosion. A tower of smoke billowed from the building, where repairs were being done to a gas boiler. Aerial footage shared by Spain’s National Police showed rubble covering the nearby schoolyard. Specialist officers from the national police force numbering 120 were working at the scene. A fire that started inside the building was making it difficult for rescuers and fire fighters to look for survivors, according to Martínez-Almeida. Fire fighters were trying to put the fire inside the building before they could bring in dogs, rescue teams and experts to assess the structure of the damaged premises. Rescue teams said on Wednesday night that they would stop work on the building for the night and "return to work first thing in the morning".
The Catholic parish that owns the damaged building said one of the victims was an electrician, a father of four, who was working on a gas boiler in the building. The building is flanked by a school and a nursing home. There were no injuries reported among the residents of the latter, who were evacuated shortly after the blast. Martínez-Almeida said the residents were being taken to a hotel across the street. None of the students in the school nearby, which has been slightly damaged, were seriously injured, the country's education minister Enrique Ossorio said. "Fortunately, when the event occurred there were no students in the courtyard," he stated. Sources: Euro News |
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