Four people have been confirmed dead after a six-storey building collapsed in central Madrid while being converted into a hotel, authorities said, following a 15-hour rescue effort involving drones and sniffer dogs.

Emergency crews in Madrid recovered the bodies of four victims from the rubble early on Wednesday after the interior of the building gave way during renovation works, leaving its facade intact.

The victims were identified as three male construction workers from Ecuador, Mali and Guinea-Conakry, and a 30-year-old female architect leading the project.

Mayor Jose Luis Almeida said on X that it was “with deep sadness” that firefighters had recovered the missing workers. Three others were injured, one seriously.

The collapse occurred on Tuesday afternoon at No. 4 Hileras Street, near Madrid’s opera house and royal palace, in an area popular with tourists. According to eyewitnesses cited by El País, up to 40 people were inside at the time.

Authorities evacuated people from nearby buildings amid fears of further collapse.

Rescue teams used drones, sniffer dogs and thermal cameras to locate those trapped beneath the debris.

“The structure gave way from the inside, but the exterior walls held up,” said a fire department spokesperson.

Records show the property was built in 1965 and received “unfavourable” technical inspection ratings in 2012 and 2022 for its general structural condition.

The former office block was being redeveloped into a four-star hotel by developer Rehbilita, and owned by Saudi-based investment fund RSR, which specialises in high-end hotels and tourist apartments in Spain and Portugal.

RSR acquired the building for €24.5 million ($28.5 million) in 2022, with municipal authorities approving the renovation in December 2024. The works were expected to last two years.

Police have opened an investigation into the cause of the collapse, focusing on possible structural weaknesses or procedural lapses during concrete pouring operations.

Firefighters are now stabilising what remains of the facade to allow forensic teams to continue their work safely.

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