Four killed in central Madrid building refurb collapse

The incident happened in the centre of the Spanish capital on Wednesday 7 October. Three more workers were injured, none seriously.

Emergency services confirmed that they had recovered the bodies of four people from the rubble – three construction workers from Ecuador, Mali, and Guinea-Conarky, as well as a 30-year-old woman who was working as the project’s architect.

The building’s interior structure collapsed, leaving its façade intact, according to Reuters.

One construction worker named Mikhail was pumping concrete into the building’s lower floors and was outside when the collapse occurred. He said he saw a large cloud of dust and immediately sprinted away.

“I was the first to run, I didn’t care about anything else. I’ll save my life first and, if I can, save others later,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Workers stand on a building at the site of a collapse in central Madrid, Spain, 7 October, 2025. Image: Reuters/Juan Medina)

The building was constructed in 1965 and underwent two technical inspections in 2012 and 2022, according to Madrid’s online registry of buildings under construction. It had been classified as “unfavourable” due to “the general condition of the facade, exterior, partition walls, roof, roof terraces and plumbing and sewage system”.

The former office building, located at 4 Hileras Street in downtown Madrid, was being converted into a four-star hotel by construction firm Rehbilita, which specialises in renovations.

According to information on its website, Rehbilita was converting the building for real estate investment vehicle RSR Singular Assets Europe Socimi.

Construction Briefing has contacted Rehbilita for comment.