Gas Explosion in Madrid Bar Injures 25, Three Critically

A gas explosion in a Madrid bar injured 25 people, including three critically. The blast damaged nearby flats, and emergency crews with dogs and drones searched the rubble. Police sealed off the area. It comes months after a similar explosion in southern Spain killed two women.

At least 25 people have been left injured after a massive gas explosion ripped through a bar in Madrid, shaking the Puente de Vallecas district and sending shockwaves across the Spanish capital. Authorities confirmed that of the victims, three remain in critical condition while two others suffered potentially serious injuries. Emergency medical teams treated the remaining casualties on site, most of whom sustained minor wounds caused by flying debris, shattered glass, and the force of the blast.

The devastating incident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. on Manuel Maroto Street, a usually busy area where residents were going about their daily routines. The explosion originated inside a bar but its effects were felt beyond the establishment, reaching the residential apartments situated above. The sudden eruption caused widespread panic, with people rushing out of nearby shops and homes as smoke and dust filled the air.

Emergency services reacted swiftly, deploying a large team of first responders, including firefighters, medical personnel, and police units. Sniffer dogs and drones were brought in to comb through the wreckage in search of possible trapped victims. Firefighters worked to stabilize the damaged structure while carefully removing debris to prevent further collapses. Madrid’s emergency services later shared disturbing images on social media showing the extent of the destruction—part of the bar’s ceiling had collapsed, bricks were scattered across the floor, and large pieces of debris lay across the pavement.

Eyewitnesses described a terrifying scene of chaos in the immediate aftermath. Doors had been torn off their hinges by the sheer force of the blast, and shards of glass were scattered along the road. Residents reported hearing a loud boom that shook buildings several streets away. First responders were seen carrying a victim on a stretcher while others rushed to assist those bleeding and disoriented.

According to civil protection officials, the 25 injured people were quickly categorized depending on the severity of their condition. Three were listed as serious, two as potentially serious, and the rest with moderate or light injuries. Emergency vehicles lined the streets, blocking off access to the area as rescue efforts continued well into the evening.

Neighbors told local newspaper El País that the blast appeared to have erupted in an area that was partly used as a living space on the ground floor, raising concerns about safety standards and the presence of gas installations in mixed-use buildings. Police cordoned off the street and directed traffic away from the site, urging residents to remain calm while investigations began into the cause of the explosion.

Madrid’s city council later issued a statement on X, providing updates on the situation. The council confirmed that police had assisted 21 of the injured victims, three of them serious and two potentially serious. Eighteen firefighting units were still at work clearing rubble and searching for survivors, while the canine unit scoured the debris. The Aerial Support Section of the Madrid Police used drones to provide overhead monitoring and guide the ground response.

This tragedy in Madrid echoes another deadly incident that occurred in Spain only a few months ago. In June, a 56-year-old British woman lost her life in a similar gas explosion at the Casa Javi bar in San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, in southern Spain. She had reportedly been living in the area as an expatriate and was at the local weekly market when the blast struck. The powerful explosion killed her and another woman, the 38-year-old owner of the bar identified as Hind, a Moroccan-born resident who suffered catastrophic burns before succumbing to her injuries.

Their deaths were later confirmed in an official post by the local town hall. Spanish newspaper El Español reported that the British victim had been residing in the nearby Lo Pagan area, while Hind was a well-known community figure whose sudden death shocked local residents.

Now, with Madrid reeling from its own disaster, questions are once again being raised about the safety of gas installations in public spaces, especially bars and restaurants that often sit beneath residential homes. As investigations continue, residents of Vallecas are left shaken, many of them recalling how ordinary their day began before it was violently interrupted by a blast that turned their neighborhood into a scene of devastation.