"Like a bomb" Four dead after building collapses in Madrid
The cause of the accident initially remained unclear.
Image: dpa
Rescue workers on the roof near the collapsed building in Madrid. (October 7, 2025)
Image: Keystone/AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
The collapse happened not far from the Madrid Opera House. (Archive photo)
Image: dpa
Sniffer dogs and drones were also used.
Image: dpa
16 units of the Madrid fire department were deployed at times.
Image: dpa
The cause of the accident initially remained unclear.
Image: dpa
Rescue workers on the roof near the collapsed building in Madrid. (October 7, 2025)
Image: Keystone/AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
The collapse happened not far from the Madrid Opera House. (Archive photo)
Image: dpa
Sniffer dogs and drones were also used.
Image: dpa
16 units of the Madrid fire department were deployed at times.
Image: dpa
A building collapses in the center of Madrid in the middle of the day. Four people are found dead. But it is still unclear what exactly happened on the construction site.
08.10.2025, 05:10
08.10.2025, 05:21
dpa
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- Several workers have died in the collapse of a building under construction in the heart of Madrid.
- According to the authorities, three men and one woman were among the four people initially reported missing.
- The woman was the architect in charge of the project, they said.
- Three workers were also injured in the collapse early on Tuesday afternoon.
- The top floor of the six-storey building collapsed at around 1 p.m., causing the other floors to collapse as well, it said
Four people have died in the collapse of a building under renovation in the center of Madrid. The fire department had recovered all the bodies, the emergency services confirmed in the early morning, according to the RTVE channel. Two bodies had already been found in the rubble late in the evening - almost ten hours after the accident - according to the mayor of the Spanish capital, José Martínez Almeida. According to the report, two other people were found and rescued shortly before 3.00 am.
According to the authorities, three men and one woman were among the four people initially reported missing. The woman was said to be the project's lead architect. Three workers were also injured in the collapse early on Tuesday afternoon.
The multi-storey building not far from Opernplatz partially collapsed at around 1.00 pm. "Several ceiling structures of the building, which was under reconstruction, have collapsed," Madrid emergency services spokeswoman Beatriz Martín told journalists. The cause of the accident is still unclear. "It's still too early to talk about it," said Martín.
"Like a bomb"
Eyewitnesses reported a loud bang and thick dust. "You suddenly couldn't see anything," José, who works in a nearby bar, told TV station RTVE. Boyana, an employee of a bakery near the scene of the accident, reported: "It sounded like a bomb, we were all very scared."
According to the authorities, one of the three injured men suffered a leg fracture and was taken to hospital. Two workers were only slightly injured and were treated on site. The area around the collapse site in the popular tourist district was cordoned off immediately after the incident.
Search with drones and sniffer dogs
16 units of the Madrid fire department were temporarily deployed to secure the rubble, prevent further collapses and search for possible victims. Sniffer dogs and drones were also used. The operation continued after dark, albeit on a very limited scale.
According to RTVE, the building in Calle Hileras, which previously housed offices, had been approved for conversion into tourist accommodation. The city of Madrid issued the corresponding license for future use as accommodation in February, it said.
