Four people have died and three others were injured after a six-storey building partially collapsed in central Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday afternoon. The structure, located on Hileras Street, was undergoing renovation to be converted into a four-star hotel.
Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida confirmed on Wednesday morning that the bodies of the last two missing individuals were recovered approximately 15 hours after the incident. “All our love and support go to their families, friends, and colleagues in this very difficult time,” Martinez-Almeida said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
According to local media, the victims included a 30-year-old Spanish woman who was managing the project and three male construction workers from Mali, Guinea, and Ecuador, aged between 30 and 50.
Spanish emergency services deployed multiple rescue crews, including units equipped with drones and sniffer dogs, to search for people trapped under the debris. Two of the bodies were recovered on Tuesday night, while the remaining victims were found early Wednesday morning.
A construction worker who was on-site told Reuters that he was pumping concrete into the building’s lower floors when he suddenly saw the structure give way. “I ran after seeing a huge cloud of dust,” he said.
Despite the internal collapse, the building’s façade remained standing. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the tragedy.
The building, a former office block, was being refurbished by Rehbilita, a Spanish property developer that described the project on its website as a “comprehensive renovation” aimed at transforming the site into a modern four-star hotel.
The incident has sparked concern over construction safety standards in Madrid as city officials continue to assess the structural integrity of surrounding buildings.
