House explosion in Alcanar, Catalonia may be linked to Barcelona terrorist attack – police

An explosion Wednesday night in Alcanar Platja is believed to be linked to the Las Ramblas attack in Barcelona, regional authorities have said. Initially, police presumed it was a gas leak that caused the destruction of a house that led to at least one death and several injuries.

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At least one person died and another six were injured in the explosion at around 11.15pm Wednesday night in the village of Alcanar Platja in southern Catalonia.

Firefighters discovered about 20 gas cylinders while examining the scene of the blast.

According to reports in the Spanish media, authorities were working under the assumption that a butane gas leak caused the blast. The deceased is believed to have been of Moroccan origin.

Briefing the press following the attack in Barcelona, head of the Catalan police (Mosses), Josep Lluis Trapero, said the explosion which occurred some 120 miles south of Barcelona is related to the Las Ramblas tragedy.

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Documents found by police among the rubble have made it possible to establish the link, local media reported. Neighbors at the sight of Wednesday's explosion maintain the house was inhabited by two brothers of Maghreb origin.

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Trapero, however, did not specify if a second explosion in Alcanar Platja on Thursday afternoon was related to the Barcelona atrocity.

Several people were injured by the second blast that went off at around 5pm at the same place where the house collapsed in Wednesday night's discharge. Both explosions left one person dead, and 16 others injured, including six Mossos officers and two firefighters.