A PERSON has died and 14 others have been wounded, two seriously, after an explosion ripped through a block of flats near Barcelona, Spain.

Shocking images of the burning building emerged after the blast at 8.25am (local time) in Premia de Mar, north east of the Catalan capital.

“The explosion happened at 8:25am and affected 15 people, 14 of whom were injured and one who died,” a spokeswoman for Barcelona’s emergency services told AFP.

The explosion happened in a second floor flat of a seven storey block in the coastal resort.
Residents woken by the blast fled from the scene with one person spotted dangling naked from a window in a desperate bid to reach safety.

The explosion ignited a fire, which has now been put out by emergency services.

Officials evacuated the building and neighbouring blocks.

A neighbour Saturnino Martin told The Sun: “It was like something out of a film, a huge noise and then a shower of glass.”

The cause of the explosion has not been revealed although gas technicians have visited the site.

The woman who died is believed to have lived in the second floor flat where the explosion occurred.
Those evacuated have been taken to a nearby sports centre.