Probe into Madrid gas explosion that killed 4 finds three unregistered boilers

Probe into the Madrid gas explosion that killed four people has discovered three of the boilers were unregistered.

THREE of the seven gas boilers installed at the parish building where the explosion occurred in Madrid last week – killing four people – were not registered with the General Directorate of Industry of the Community, sources close to the investigation told EFE.

The last revision of the building’s gas installation, mandatory every five years, was carried out in January 2020 and was in order, according to Community of Madrid sources.

The head of the Court of Instruction number 35 of Plaza de Castilla, which is directing the probe into the deadly explosion on January 20, has requested several reports from the National Police and the Fire Department to establish the cause of the blast.

Investigators have checked the documentation of the gas installations and their maintenance and have found that, of the seven gas boilers in the building, only four were officially registered.

Legal sources told the news agency that the magistrate is still waiting for a report from the Scientific Police.

Once it is analysed, the court will continue with the open judicial investigation process.

It has been reported that the regional government does not have data relating to the maintenance/revision of the three boilers.

The Judicial Police of the Central Police Station have so far taken statements from a dozen witnesses, including a priest who told officers they had not had heating for days and had asked David Santos, the parishioner electrician who also died, to help fix one of the radiators that was in the basement.

The parish priest of the Virgen de la Paloma Church, Gabriel Benedicto, reported that minutes before the explosion he smelled gas throughout the building and assured that nobody touched any of the boilers.

The blast also claimed the lives of two pedestrians who were walking past the building at the time of the accident.

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