THREE people have died after a five-storey apartment building collapsed near Barcelona.
The victims have been described as a man and a woman aged between 30 and 40 years old and another woman in her fifties.
SolarpixThe five-storey apartment block collapsed in Badalona, near Barcelona[/caption]
They are understood to have lived in different flats within the building – which is located a short metro and train ride north of Barcelona, in Badalona – and were not members of the same family.
One of the victims was speaking with relatives in an online video call when the apartment block collapsed, it has been reported.
The nationalities of the three victims are not yet known.
Firefighters discovered three bodies overnight while searching for the three residents who had been reported missing.
The first victim was found just before 2am this morning, and the others at 6.30am and 7am.
Police and other emergency workers raced to the scene about 10.30am yesterday following a 999 call.
Some 40 flats in neighbouring buildings were evacuated as psychologists arrived on-site.
Distressing footage released by firefighters showed them working overnight to clear rubble and locate the missing trio.
Before finding the bodies, firefighters wrote on X/Twitter: “Two sniffer dogs are checking the surface of the rubble every time a certain volume or heavy element is removed.”
In a subsequent message, posted about 8am local time, they said: “We have located three lifeless bodies in the collapsed building in Badalona which are waiting to be identified.
“We are continuing the work to clear the rubble, which is expected to last until this afternoon.”
Badalona’s mayor Xavier Garcia Albiol said two of the victims were “young people” and the third an “older woman”.
He said: “The younger woman lived alone with her two young daughters and the man had just become a father to his second child.”
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