On October 7, 2025, the heart of Madrid was rocked by a devastating building collapse that has left the city reeling, as emergency services continue to search for missing workers and assess the aftermath. The incident unfolded at No. 4 Hileras Street, just steps from the bustling Plaza Mayor and the iconic Puerta del Sol, in a building that was undergoing extensive renovations to become a four-star hotel. The collapse, which occurred shortly before 1 p.m., sent a massive cloud of dust billowing through the historic center, startling residents, workers, and tourists alike.
According to reports from AP, EL PAÍS, and Spanish state broadcaster TVE, the top floor of the six-story building gave way, pancaking the floors beneath it and trapping workers inside. The facade, still shrouded in a huge green tarp typical of construction sites, remained upright—a detail that, according to Madrid’s mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida, prevented most of the debris from spilling onto the street and potentially causing even more casualties.
Tragically, as the dust settled, the full extent of the disaster became clear. Mayor Martínez Almeida confirmed that two construction workers had lost their lives in the collapse. Emergency workers and police recovered the body of a man and located another person trapped in the rubble. The mayor stated, “We will keep working until we find the missing people,” underscoring the urgency and gravity of the rescue operation. The fate of the missing workers remains uncertain, with conflicting reports about their numbers. City officials initially said four people—three men and one woman—were unaccounted for, while firefighters reported five missing and police confirmed only two. This confusion only added to the anxiety of family members and colleagues waiting for news at the scene.
Three other workers were injured in the collapse, with one suffering a serious leg fracture and being transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Others sustained minor injuries and were treated for shock by emergency psychologists, as reported by Madrid Emergency Services. In total, at least ten people were reported injured across various accounts, all of them construction workers involved in the building’s renovation.
The rescue and recovery efforts were nothing short of herculean. Eleven units of the Madrid Fire Department, supported by the Municipal Police Canine Unit, worked tirelessly to stabilize the remaining structure and search for survivors. Firefighters and police deployed sniffer dogs and drones, scouring the debris for any sign of life. The site was quickly cordoned off, and neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution, with authorities analyzing the potential impact on adjacent structures. Madrid regional premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso visited the scene, while Mayor Martínez Almeida canceled his participation in an international event in London to return and oversee the response.
Witness accounts painted a chaotic and terrifying picture of the moment the building collapsed. A construction worker at the site, who wished to remain anonymous, described the harrowing experience: “There could have been up to 40 people inside the building. At the moment of the collapse, we heard a noise from the floors, and then just a cloud of dust.” Nearby residents and business owners echoed his shock. “About half an hour ago, I felt a terrible tremor in the street, and a huge cloud of dust rose in front of the building, leaving people scared and confused,” one local recounted to EL PAÍS. Another, Milagros García Benito, who owns a hair salon across from the site, said, “It was a horrifying, extremely loud crash. Everything filled with white dust that looked like smoke, but it wasn’t.”
The scene was described as surreal: dust and debris littered the road, the crane on the scaffolding stood eerily still, and emergency vehicles crowded the narrow street. “The whole building collapsed, and we can’t get through. It’s full of ambulances and police, and they won’t let us in,” reported the manager of the nearby San Ginés chocolatería. Miguel, an employee at a local restaurant, said, “From the outside, you can’t see anything; the facade looks the same, everything happened inside.” The force of the collapse was so great that it shook the ground and sent a dust cloud as far as Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house.
Amid the confusion, emergency services spokeswoman Beatriz Martin noted, “The workers told us that colleagues are still missing. We still don’t know whether they were working inside the building at the time of the collapse. It could be that one or two of them were elsewhere at that moment.” The uncertainty has been agonizing for families, some of whom were allowed into the cordoned-off area in hopes of learning the fate of their loved ones. Two men, whose brother was among the workers, said they had been trying to reach him all morning without success.
Authorities have labeled the incident a workplace accident and are still working to determine the exact number of workers present at the time of the collapse. The building, constructed in 1965 and measuring 1,070 square meters, had been closed for a long period before renovations began six months ago. According to residents, a massive crane had been installed on the scaffolding as part of the project. The building’s transformation into a hotel was expected to take two years—a timeline now indefinitely delayed by tragedy.
Investigators are now focused on stabilizing the facade to safely clear the debris and complete the search for missing workers. The entire perimeter remains evacuated, and authorities are evaluating the safety of neighboring buildings. As the search continues, Madrid is left to grapple with the shock and sorrow of an accident that has shattered lives and disrupted the city’s daily rhythm.
For many in Madrid, the collapse serves as a sobering reminder of the risks faced by construction workers and the importance of rigorous safety standards on building sites—especially in the historic, densely populated center of a major city. The coming days will bring more answers, but for now, the community mourns, waits, and hopes for the safe recovery of those still missing.
