Lifeless body of a minor found in the collapse of a building in Peniscola

A block of about twenty apartments has partially collapsed for unknown reasons

Daniel Martín

2 min

Emergency teams continue the search for the missing people in Peñíscola Domenech Castelló / EFE

ValenciaThe rescue teams have found early Thursday morning the lifeless body of a minor missing in the collapse of an apartment building on Wednesday in Peniscola, as reported by the emergency services of the Valencian Country. A psychosocial team has moved to attend to the family while they continue the work to locate another person, a woman, who is still missing. Late Wednesday Firefighters and located alive and conscious a third person who was inside the building when it collapsed and had been trapped under the rubble.

According to municipal sources, the canine unit located the missing woman on Wednesday before midnight, although the woman did not respond to the cries of the rescue teams. The mayor of Peníscola, Andrés Martínez, speaking to Cadena Ser, confirmed that the person still trapped in the rubble is a relative of the other two who have already been located. The young man who was rescued alive is now recovering in hospital.

Some 140 members of the various emergency and security services are still working to remove the debris from the collapsed building, which is located in a residential area of holiday homes.

Rescue of one of the three people trapped in the building

The mayor of Peníscola, Andreu Martínez, visited the building on Wednesday, which is located in the Font Nova urbanisation, and explained that the building is ten years old and includes 20 apartments, mostly holiday homes. He also said that the causes of the collapse are unknown and detailed that the accident would have occurred at 19.30 pm.

According to the mayor, many of the residents were not inside the apartments at the time of the collapse, as they may have finished their holidays and others may have been walking on the beach. Of the latter, about thirty have been rehoused in hotels in town or in relatives' homes.

Image of the building affected by the collapse Ayuntamiento de Peñíscola

Five fire brigades, as well as personnel from the rescue and rescue units, the canine unit and the machinery and logistics unit were initially deployed to the scene of the accident. Some of the neighbours who had suffered an anxiety attack had to be treated. The Emergency Coordination Centre asked the public to stay away from the collapsed building so as not to hinder the rescue work. The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, who will visit Peníscola this Thursday, has expressed his concern and explained that the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, had taken an interest in the rescue work and that he would also visit the area.