MADRID: Spanish emergency services have found two bodies buried in the rubble after a building under construction collapsed in central Madrid.
The collapse occurred on Tuesday near the Plaza Mayor, a popular tourist area.
Firefighters worked at the scene following the collapse of various floor slabs.
The central government’s top representative in the Madrid region, Francisco Martin Aguirre, explained the collapse caused different floors to give way down to the basement.
He stated the damage is very severe and the possible impact on adjacent buildings is being analysed.
Madrid’s municipal police confirmed neighbouring buildings were being evacuated as a precaution.
The total number of injuries remains unclear with conflicting reports from officials.
Martin Aguirre initially estimated around ten injuries, mostly minor.
Madrid’s deputy mayor Inmaculada Sanz later provided a toll of three injured workers.
Emergency services had also initially reported three injured workers with none in serious condition.
Madrid’s mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida confirmed one injured worker was taken to hospital.
Officials initially reported four missing people, identified as three men and one woman.
Mayor Martinez-Almeida later announced that the bodies of two missing people had been found.
Emergency services are still searching for the other two missing individuals.
Police cordoned off the street using drones while ambulances and police cars filled the area.
Dozens of onlookers gathered outside the cordoned-off collapse site.
Milagros Garcia Benito, who works at a nearby hairdresser, described hearing an enormous explosion.
She reported the blast blew out glass and covered the area in white dust.
Firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene according to witnesses.
Deputy Mayor Sanz noted the amount of rubble is very significant.
She predicted the emergency response would last quite a long time, probably several days.
The collapsed building was a former office building being converted into a hotel.
Madrid town hall records show a permit for the conversion was granted in February.
According to the land registry, the building had six storeys with a total surface area of 6,745 square metres. – AFP