As originally reported by “El Pais”, citing its sources, several floors of a building under renovation on Hileras Street, between Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Opera, the main squares of the capital, collapsed.
The article continues below the video
Francisco Martin, the delegate of the central government in Madrid, was quoted by the Cadena SER radio website and reported that 10 were injured. The press previously reported three injured people, including one seriously.
Four people are still missing – three men and a woman. – The upper floors collapsed and fell down, we are dealing with a very large amount of debris, the removal of which will probably take several days – said the deputy mayor of Madrid, Inma Sanz, quoted by the Cadena SER agency.
A building collapsed in Madrid. Emergency services in action
Police officers and rescuers appeared on site, as well as, among others, head of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso. In the video published on Platform X by the Madrid emergency services, firefighters and ambulances can be seen. The street where the incident occurred was blocked.
The building was being rebuilt into a hotel, according to information posted on the developer Rehbilit's website, quoted by Reuters. The website of the public radio and television broadcaster reported that the building that collapsed received two negative technical assessments during inspections in 2012 and 2022.
The search for people who may have been trapped in the building is carried out with the help of drones and tracking dogs. As “El Pais” reported, citing a worker working on site, there could have been up to 40 people in the building.
“Firefighters are still working to stabilize the building's structure to secure the search area for missing people,” the Madrid emergency services reported on the X website.
