As many as 25 people were injured, with five in serious condition, following a massive gas explosion on Saturday in the Puente de Vallecas district of Madrid, officials said on Saturday.
The updated reports suggest that all five seriously injured remain in critical condition on Sunday. The blast, which occurred around 3 pm local time, damaged a commercial structure that had been converted into a residence, the building above it, and a neighbouring bar.
Carlos Marín de la Bárcena, chief of the Madrid City Fire Department, ruled out a terrorism angle and confirmed that it was a gas explosion.
However, authorities on Sunday said that the cause and exact place of the incident are yet to be determined, though the investigation was going to trace out the possible causes that led to the explosion.
Madrid’s deputy mayor also stated that the building has been evacuated and residents of the nine apartments in the three-storey building may need to be relocated for days due to "significant damage to the structural flooring between the ground and first floors".
Inmaculada Sanz, who is also the city head of security and emergencies, said that the City Council was coordinating with Samur Social to provide temporary housing solutions to affected residents.
According to Madrid firefighting authorities, the teams are working manually due to the instability of the structure, which limits the use of heavy equipment inside the structure. They said at least four people have been evacuated from the rubble so far.
Sanz indicated that much of the debris has already been cleared, and it now “seems unlikely” that more people are trapped.
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