Three killed as gas explosion rips through Madrid building

Firefighters inspect the debris caused by an explosion in Madrid, Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP)

A powerful gas explosion tore through a residential building in central Madrid on Wednesday, killing at least three people and ripping the facade off the structure.

A tower of smoke rose from the building, where repairs were being done to a gas boiler, and billowed through Toledo Street, near the city’s centre.