The 23-year-old woman, seriously injured in an explosion at a bar in Madrid’s Carabanchel district, died on Wednesday after being detained with her partner on suspicion of involvement. Her partner could not survive the extensive burns that affected most of his body.
The woman, described as a Spanish national of Colombian descent with a police record, died earlier on Wednesday at the La Paz hospital, according to police sources. She had been placed in an induced coma.
The National Police chose to keep her in the hospital custody as a detainee after statements from witnesses indicated that both she and her partner, a 19-year-old Spanish man, had threatened the bar owners and had been seen prowling around the building in a hood in the early hours of the previous Tuesday when the explosion occurred.
Moments after the blast, residents of Calle de las Cuevas de Altamira found the injured woman lying on the ground. Her boyfriend, who was also severely burned, fled the scene and was later located in a nearby house. He was found approximately two hours after the incident, and witnesses reported that he was treated by doctors from Sable-Civil Protection at the scene or nearby hospitals.
The young woman, who suffered second and third degree burns over a large portion of her body, was transported to La Paz hospital, where her condition remained critical and she ultimately died there.
The man, evacuated to Getafe hospital, remained in serious condition.
Madrid City Council firefighters who arrived at the scene contained a gas leak, and the ensuing fire damaged the building beyond repair.
The Carabanchel District Judicial Police are leading the investigation into the incident and are awaiting the Scientific Police’s report to clarify the exact circumstances surrounding the explosion.
Statements from multiple witnesses were collected to determine the possible motive behind the actions of the couple and the events that followed.