Tragedy Strikes Madrid: Four Dead in Building Collapse

Four people have died after a six-storey building which was being refurbished partially collapsed in the centre of the Spanish capital, Madrid.

The city's mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, said the bodies of the last two of the people reported missing were recovered on Wednesday morning - some 15 hours after several floors at the property on Hileras Street collapsed.

Local media reported that the victims included a 30-year-old Spanish woman managing the project, along with three male workers hailing from Mali, Guinea, and Ecuador, aged between 30 and 50. Three other individuals sustained injuries in the incident.

The former office block was being converted into a hotel, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into the collapse.

Spanish emergency services deployed several crews equipped with drones and sniffer dogs to search for survivors after Tuesday's catastrophic event. Notably, two bodies were retrieved on Tuesday night.

All our love and support go to their families, friends, and colleagues in this very difficult time, Martinez-Almeida stated in a post on social media.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that a construction worker had been pumping concrete into the lower levels of the building when it suddenly collapsed, prompting him to flee after seeing a massive cloud of dust.

Despite the internal damage, the building's façade remained intact during the collapse.

According to Rehbilita, the developer's website, the structure was undergoing comprehensive renovations to operate as a four-star hotel.