1 dead, 14 hurt in blast at Spain apartment block

One person died and 14 people were injured in an explosion in a block of flats in a Spanish seaside resort near Barcelona early today, 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 25 kilometres north of Barcelona.

"The explosion happened at 8:25 AM and affected 15 people, 14 of whom were injured and one who died," a spokeswoman 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.