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Gas explosion rips through Madrid building, killing four
Last updated on Jan 21, 2021, 11:29 am
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A powerful gas explosion tore through a residential building in central Madrid on Wednesday, killing four people and ripping the facade off the structure.
A tower of smoke rose from the building, where repairs were being done to a gas boiler, and billowed through Toledo Street, near the city's center.
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In this articleThe building belongs to the La Paloma Catholic Parish At least 11 people were injured in the explosion Mild damage to the school has been identified: Madrid Mayor A government official and the Catholic parish confirmed the victims Emergency workers were seen carrying bodies from the area The moment of the blast was terrifying: Local residents Some people thought explosion happened at the school
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Information
The building belongs to the La Paloma Catholic Parish
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The building belongs to the nearby La Paloma Catholic Parish and hosted the offices and apartments for some of its priests, Madrid Archbishop Carlos Osoro told Spanish public broadcaster, TVE. He confirmed that none of the clerics were among the victims.
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Explosion
At least 11 people were injured in the explosion
![At least 11 people were injured in the explosion]( "At least 11 people were injured in the explosion")
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Aerial footage shared by Spain's National Police showed rubble covering a nearby schoolyard, though Madrid's Mayor said no one was seriously injured at the school.
All students and staff were inside the school building at the time of the blast.
"At least 11 people were injured in the explosion, one seriously," the Madrid emergency service said in a tweet.
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Damage
Mild damage to the school has been identified: Madrid Mayor
![Mild damage to the school has been identified: Madrid Mayor]( "Mild damage to the school has been identified: Madrid Mayor")
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"A nearby nursing home was evacuated and no injuries were initially reported among 55 residents," Madrid Mayor Jos Luis Mart nez Almeida informed.
"They were taken to a hotel across the street and were later sent to care homes," officials said.
Mart nez Almeida said that some mild damage had been identified in the school, where he said people suffered no more than scratches.
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Information
A government official and the Catholic parish confirmed the victims
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The Spanish Government's representative for the Madrid region, Jos Manuel Franco, confirmed three casualties and the Catholic parish that owned the damaged building said the fourth victim was an electrician, a father of four, who was working on the boiler and had been considered missing.
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Details
Emergency workers were seen carrying bodies from the area
![Emergency workers were seen carrying bodies from the area]( "Emergency workers were seen carrying bodies from the area")
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A police spokesman on the ground said that firefighters were trying to put out a small fire inside the building before they could bring in dogs, rescue teams, and experts to assess the structure of damaged premises.
A reporter saw emergency workers carrying two bodies away from the area, one that firefighters covered with a blue blanket and another shrouded in reflective emergency sheeting.
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Residents
The moment of the blast was terrifying: Local residents
![The moment of the blast was terrifying: Local residents]( "The moment of the blast was terrifying: Local residents")
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Emy Lee Grau, a local resident who was watching television in a building across the street, said that the moment of the blast was terrifying.
"We were terrified when we saw the amount of smoke coming out of the church's building," the 20-year-old Madrid resident said.
Neighborhood resident Leire Reparaz said she heard the explosion and wasn't immediately sure where it was coming from.
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Quote
Some people thought explosion happened at the school
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"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 gray smoke," the 24-year-old Reparaz said.
