A loud explosion tore through central Madrid on Wednesday. Emergency services have been rushed to the spot in the heart of the Spanish capital city.
Rescue teams, firefighters and police are being deployed to the site of the explosion, Madrid's emergency services said.
Videos and pictures posted on social media show smoke billowing out of a building in central Madrid. Rubble can be seen lying around the building. Reports suggest that the incident could have been the result of a gas leak, however, the same is yet to be confirmed.
La explosión se ha producido en el número 98 de la calle Toledo. @SAMUR_PC está atendiendo a varias personas heridas. @BomberosMad trabaja en asegurar la zona. pic.twitter.com/qe8fdqkUOo
— Emergencias Madrid (@EmergenciasMad) January 20, 2021
A resident of the area where the explosion took place told the Associated Press, "We didn’t know where the sound came from. 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."
News agency AFP quoted José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the Mayor of Madrid saying that two people have reportedly died in the explosion.