One person has been killed and three others injured after a gas explosion tore through a bar in Almería, southeastern Spain. The blast occurred on Wednesday afternoon at La Posada bar on Calle Alfareria, opposite a health centre.
An 81-year-old pedestrian passing by at the time was killed in the fire. The bar owner sustained burns on over 60 per cent of his body and was taken to a hospital in Seville. A second casualty suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation, and a third person was taken to a local medical centre, though their condition is unknown.
Emergency services, including bomb disposal experts and the fire brigade, responded to reports of the blast around 5.20pm. A second explosion also occurred in an adjacent garage on the same street. Early investigations suggest a gas cylinder may have caused the explosions, but the exact cause is yet to be confirmed. Forensic teams were collecting evidence at the scene on Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for the regional emergency response coordination centre said: “We received numerous reports of an explosion, possibly caused by gas, which had triggered a fire in the premises and caused part of the facade to collapse.” They added that emergency services confirmed two explosions, one in the cafe and another in the adjacent garage.
Images from the scene showed police tape around a heavily damaged building, with doors torn from hinges and exposed wires hanging from the ceiling. Local police, national police, and fire crews supported the response.
