The death toll in the collapse of a building in central Madrid has risen to four after rescue teams found the bodies of the last two missing, the Spanish EFE agency reported, quoted by BTA.
The building was under renovation to be converted into a four-star hotel. Shortly after 1:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. Bulgarian time) yesterday, part of the structure collapsed. About 40 people were working in it at the time of the incident.
The first two bodies were found shortly before midnight, and the other two later, and have not yet been removed from the scene of the incident. Three more workers were injured in the collapse – one was taken to hospital with a broken leg and two had minor injuries.
Those missing after the incident were the manager Laura and three workers - Dambele, Alfa and Jorge, from Mali, Guinea and Ecuador respectively, aged between 30 and 50.
Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida said the rescue operation was – – extremely complex and difficult– and specially trained dogs from the National Police were also used in the search.
The search for the bodies was led by firefighters and the municipal police, who used drones and cranes to clear the debris.
The police have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the collapse. The case is being treated as a work accident and has been entrusted to the Madrid municipal police. Firefighters continued to clear the site throughout the night.