Tragic Collapse of a Building in Madrid
Spanish emergency services have successfully recovered the bodies of four individuals from the debris of a six-storey building that collapsed in central Madrid. The structure was being renovated to transform into a hotel when the incident occurred.
The mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Almeida, expressed deep sorrow on X, stating, “It is with deep sadness that we confirm that Madrid firefighters have recovered the bodies of the people who went missing after the collapse.”
The victims have been identified as Laura Rodriguez, a 30-year-old project architect, and construction workers Moussa Dembele, 40, Diallo Mamadún, and a man named Jorge. Following a search-and-rescue operation involving police and firefighters, two of the victims’ bodies were found just before midnight on Tuesday, while the remaining three were discovered early on Wednesday morning.
The building, which was set to be converted from an office space into a luxury hotel with a ground-floor restaurant, is located in one of Madrid’s most popular tourist areas. It is only a five-minute walk from La Puerta del Sol, one of the city’s most famous squares.
Around 40 people were inside the building at the time of the collapse. In addition to the four fatalities, three other construction workers were injured. The collapse affected the interior structure of the building, leaving its facade intact.
One construction worker, Mikhail, was pumping concrete into the lower floors of the building when the collapse happened. He was outside at the time and described witnessing a large cloud of dust before immediately running away.
“I was the first to run; I didn’t care about anything else. I’ll save my life first, and if I can, save others later,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Authorities mentioned that the incident caused different floors to collapse down to the basement of the building. They added that the damage there is severe, and the potential impact on adjacent buildings is also under analysis.
According to Madrid’s online registry of buildings under construction, the property was built in 1965. It underwent two technical inspections in 2012 and 2022, and it was classified as ‘unfavourable’ due to the general condition of the facade, exterior, partition walls, roof, roof terraces, and plumbing and sewage system.
The former office building, located in an area of downtown Madrid popular with tourists near the opera house and royal palace, was being converted into a four-star hotel by developer Rehbilita. According to information on its website, Rehbilita did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The property belongs to RSR, a Saudi-based fund that specializes in high-end hotels and tourist apartments in Spain and Portugal. RSR purchased the property for €24.5 million in 2022. The renovation, approved by municipal authorities in December 2024, was expected to last two years.
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