Madrid, May 6 (AP) An explosion ripped through a four-story residential building in central Madrid on Friday, injuring at least 18 people.

Emergency services said they were searching for two missing people.

Also Read | Impression Was Created That I Wanted To Make Faiz Hameed the Army Chief, Says Imran Khan.

Video released by the city of Madrid showed paramedics attending to the injured at the scene in the upmarket neighborhood of Salamanca, as police and firefighters cordoned off streets cluttered with glass and debris.

Four of the injured were taken to a hospital, including one person in serious condition, after the blast sent plumes of smoke billowing over parts of the area.

Also Read | Sri Lanka Economic Crisis: MPs Trapped Inside Parliament Amid Students’ Protest.

Emergency crews combed the building to check the structure and to search for anyone trapped inside, Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida told broadcaster Telemadrid.

Asked about reports saying a gas leak had caused the explosion, the mayor said it was too early to know.

“What is known is that some work was being done in the building, and neighbors said there was a powerful explosion,” he said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a tweet that his office was closely following the situation. “I've just called Mayor Almeida in order to convey my solidarity and support to the victims of an explosion in a building in Madrid,” he said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)