At least 17 injured in large explosion in Madrid building

Madrid, May 6 (EFE).- At least 17 people were injured Friday in a large explosion in a four-storey building in central Madrid, as firefighters were searching for missing people, Spanish emergency services reported.

Four of the injured were brought to hospital, while one is in serious condition after falling into the courtyard from inside the building, the city’s mayor, José Luis Martínez Almeida, told reporters.

People in the building adjacent to the one affected by the explosion have been evacuated while a nearby school did not have to be evacuated, emergency services said.

The explosion occurred at 1:30 pm in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid.

Urban structures and vehicles close to the building were also damaged as a result of the blast.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown. EFE

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