A five-storey apartment building in a busy district of central Madrid collapsed into a pile of rubble today, killing one person, injuring at least 11 and possibly trapping others, officials said.
One middle-aged person has been found dead in the debris, an emergency services spokesman said.
Officials at first said they could confirm 10 people injured, most with broken bones, and then said an 11th person had been pulled from the rubble after he managed to call emergency services from his mobile phone.
He was in a bad way because he was face down, trapped by a wooden beam, a fireman taking part in the operation told state radio.But he was conscious when we got him out, he added.
The search for possible additional victims continued as fire fighters led sniffer dogs through the debris and bulldozers attempted to clear away fallen masonry.
Paramedics set up a makeshift field hospital nearby.
Police and emergency workers declined to speculate about the cause of the accident. Witnesses at the scene said a shop on the ground floor had been undergoing renovation.
The building in the Arguelles area, opposite a normally crowded El Corte Ingles department store, fell down at around 2 p.m., leaving a pile of rubble several metres (yards) high, although part of the building remained intact.
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AFP