Dimitris Kouimtsidis
A BRITISH expat has lost her life after a gas leak caused an explosion in her home in Malaga province.
At around 7am this morning a gas leak caused an explosion in a second floor flat occupied by an elderly British couple in Torre del Mar.
An unnamed woman tragically died in the accident, with her body being found among the rubble by the emergency services.
Her 88-year-old husband has miraculously survived however and is currently at the Axarquia Regional Hospital in a stable condition.
Manuel Marmolejo, President of Malaga’s bomberos told El Mundo that: “The explosion was so strong that it lifted people from their beds in houses on neighboring streets.
“And by that I don’t mean that they stood up, but instead that they bounced on their beds.”
According to the emergency services, several individuals rang 112 to notify them of the event, with Policia Local, Policia Nacional, ambulances and the bomberos all descending upon the scene.
The building has been completely evacuated as a precaution, after a first inspection revealed considerable damage.
“The floors of the flats located above and below the apartment in which the explosion occurred are affected, as well as the walls of the neighbouring flats that are situated on the right and left,” said Marmolejo.
The Mayor of Velez-Malaga, Antonio Moreno said that a total of nine families have been affected by this ‘unpleasant accident’.
“We are trying to relocate them and provide them with accommodation if it isn’t possible for them to stay with relatives.
“The most important thing at the moment is to take care of these residents,” he added.
The Mayor also mentioned that the time of the accident – early hours of the morning – is a likely reason why there weren’t any more casualties, as not many people were walking by on the street.
Policia Nacional will undertake an investigation in order to find out the cause of the gas leak and the subsequent explosion.
