At least two people have been killed and several injured after an explosion tore through a parish building in the centre of Madrid, raining masonry on the street below.
The cause of the blast, which happened at about 3pm on Wednesday, has not been confirmed, but initial reports suggest it could have been triggered by a gas leak.
The building, on Calle Toledo near Plaza Mayor, belongs to the parish church of La Virgen de la Paloma, and contains priests’ lodgings and meeting rooms.
The residents of a care home next door were evacuated without injury, while staff and children in the parish school on the other side of the building also escaped unharmed.
Madrid’s emergency services said two people had died, six had minor injuries, one had moderate injuries and a person with serious injuries had been taken to hospital.
The city’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, said firefighters were inspecting the damaged building to determine whether the blast had damaged the neighbouring care home.
“It seems there was a gas explosion in the parish lodgings and at least two people have lost their lives,” said the mayor.
The school released a statement confirming that no one had been injured and that “all the children and staff are fine”.
Leire Reparaz, a local resident, told the Associated Press that she heard a loud explosion just before 3pm while heading to her home near the Puerta de Toledo.
“We didn’t know where the sound came from,” she said. “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.”
Before news of the deaths and injuries emerged, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, tweeted: “An awful explosion on the Calle Toledo in Madrid. We’re waiting on further information and hoping that, despite the shocking images, we don’t have to mourn any victims.”