Post by : Rameen Ariff

A six-storey building in central Madrid collapsed during renovation work, killing four people and injuring three others. The property was being converted into a four-star hotel, and it took nearly 15 hours for emergency teams, including firefighters, police, drones, and sniffer dogs, to recover the victims.

Authorities confirmed that the four fatalities included three male construction workers aged 30 to 50 from Ecuador, Mali, and Guinea-Conakry, and a 30-year-old female architect overseeing the renovation. The three injured workers were treated promptly at nearby hospitals.

A worker named Mikhail, who was outside pumping concrete during the collapse, described a huge cloud of dust and fleeing the site immediately. He said he acted instinctively to save his own life while hoping to help others.

The building, originally constructed in 1965, had technical inspections in 2012 and 2022, both marking it as “unfavourable” due to deteriorated facades, partition walls, roofs, terraces, and plumbing. Despite these warnings, renovation work to convert the building into a luxury hotel was approved in December 2024.

Located in a central Madrid area popular with tourists, near the opera house and royal palace, the project was managed by a developer for high-end hospitality. The property is owned by Saudi-based fund RSR, which specializes in luxury hotels and tourist apartments in Spain and Portugal. RSR bought the building in 2022 for €24.5 million ($28.5 million), and the renovation was planned to last two years.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse, considering the building’s age and previous inspection reports. The incident has raised serious concerns about construction safety and the management of urban renovation projects, especially in older buildings.

The tragedy has shocked Madrid residents and highlighted the importance of strict safety measures during construction. Municipal authorities, emergency teams, and construction companies are reviewing procedures to prevent similar accidents. The Madrid building collapse serves as a grim reminder of the risks involved in renovating older urban buildings, and authorities are now focused on ensuring stronger safety compliance to protect both workers and residents.

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