A witness told local Madrid newspaper ABC that “everything shook like a bomb” and that “much of the facade has fallen.”
Local resident Leire Reparaz, 24, told the Associated Press that she heard a loud explosion: “We didn't know where the sound came from. We all thought it was from the school. We went up the stairs to the top of our building and we could see the structure of the building and lots of grey smoke.”
Firefighters, police and specialized emergency workers were at the scene and nearby residents were evacuated from the area.
Injuries confirmed
Police confirmed to local media that there had been some injuries. La Vanguardia reported that two people were still unaccounted for.
Emergency services posted a video showing large amounts of debris littering the street.
The blast happened at about 3 p.m. local time in Calle de Toledo, a main thoroughfare just south of the center. The building, reportedly owned by the archdiocese, is located near a school, a church and a nursing home.
There was no initial report of deaths or a possible cause of the blast. A spokesman for the nearby nursing home told El Pais that no residents or employees had been injured.
Local eatery Cafe Pavon offered shelter to affected residents and acted as a liaison for concerned relatives.
Ha sido la iglesia al lado de la residencia de tercera edad y están evacuando los ancianos pic.twitter.com/ldPytldTKC
