One dead, 14 hurt in blast at Spain apartment block

A picture taken on Sept 18, 2016 shows a damaged seven-storey building following an explosion in Premia de Mar, near Barcelona. PHOTO: AFP

BARCELONA (AFP) - One person died and 14 people were injured in an explosion in a block of flats in a Spanish seaside resort near Barcelona early on Sunday (Sept 18), rescuers said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, which took place in the residential building in Premia de Mar, a resort town some 25km north of Barcelona.

"The explosion happened at 8.25am and affected 15 people, 14 of whom were injured and one who died," a spokesman for Barcelona's emergency services told AFP.

Two of the injured were in serious condition, she said.

Local media reports showed images of a fire burning in a seven-storey building, saying the building had been evacuated while investigators tried to determine what caused the blast.

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