UPDATE - At least 3 dead in Madrid explosion

UPDATED WITH INCREASED DEATH TOLL

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – At least three people are dead after a powerful explosion on Wednesday destroyed a large residential building in central Madrid.

Madrid authorities have confirmed that it was a gas explosion which occurred while the building’s boiler was being repaired.

The person who was fixing the boiler has not been found.

“This implies that there could be at least one more death,” Madrid government official Jose Manuel Franco told Spanish broadcaster TVE.

One of the people who died was walking in front of the building when it abruptly exploded, he said.

Another person in serious condition is being treated in the hospital, while several others have been treated for less serious injuries.

The massive explosion shook the city’s iconic La Latina neighborhood, with people in the vicinity wondering if it was a bomb or an earthquake.

The rubble caused damage to nearby buildings, which include a nursing home and a school.

The powerful blast blew the facade completely off the top floors of the six-story building, which belongs to the Catholic Church.

The building contained housing for priests as well as office space and a shelter run by the charity organization Caritas.

Flames continue to emerge from the bottom floor of the building. Once firefighters manage to put it out, they will be able to search for other victims.