A building collapse in Madrid leaves four dead.

MadridFirefighters have located the bodies of four people missing in the collapse of a building under construction this Tuesday afternoon in central Madrid, sources from the Madrid Emergency Department told Efe news agency. The mayor of the Spanish capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, confirmed two of the four deaths shortly before midnight, while the other two bodies were located around 2:00 a.m. The incident also left three people injured, one of whom had to be taken to the hospital with a broken leg, and the other two were treated by emergency psychologists for the impact they suffered.

All of those affected are construction workers. Initially, it has been reported that one of the missing people was the building's architect, although firefighters have confirmed that she is an administrative assistant. The other three are construction workers. The accident occurred in a six-story building undergoing renovation located on Hileras Street, which runs from Plaza de la Ópera to Puerta del Sol, in one of the most central and busiest areas of the Spanish capital. Almeida reported that the City Council granted the building permit in February and indicated that "the planning documents were in order."

The building that collapsed had been abandoned and was currently being renovated to make way for a four-star hotel. As the building's floor collapsed, several floors collapsed and a heavy cloud of dust rose, spreading into the surrounding streets. The area was immediately cordoned off and firefighters were able to enter the building five hours later, once they had assurances that the structure would not fall on them. According to Efe, the woman's name is Laura and she was in the office area on the first floor; The other missing people are Dambéle, Alfa, and Jorge, originally from Mali, Guinea, and Ecuador, respectively. They were in the basement and on the sixth and top floor when they were surprised by the collapse.

Eighteen firefighters from Madrid City Council and 13 emergency medical units were dispatched to the scene and set up a field hospital. A spokesperson for the unit indicated that they would search for the missing people "as long as necessary, until they appear."

The witnesses

Neighbors and business owners in the area have experienced the collapse with nervousness and concern, which some have compared to a volcanic explosion. Milagros owns a hair salon directly across from the building that collapsed and is one of the neighbors who witnessed the events. "There was a horrible bang and the windows shattered. I saw sand falling from top to bottom, and suddenly, white powder," she explains. Emergency personnel and municipal police immediately arrived and evacuated the building due to the risk of the building collapsing. According to this neighbor, the building was supposed to house a four-star hotel. Construction work had begun six months earlier and was expected to last two years.

Lucas, who lives on a street perpendicular to Hileras, Arenal Street, cannot enter because of the police cordon and he doesn't have any identification. "I have to wait, I understand," he says resignedly.

After the incident, the hours passed "very slowly" because only the movements of the police officers, ambulances, and firefighters were seen analyzing the building to see how they could approach the search for the missing people.