An 89-year-old British woman has died in a gas explosion at her Costa del Sol home.
The pensioner’s husband was also hurt in the blast early this morning at the property in Torre del Mar, east of Malaga.
Firefighters found him sitting in a chair surrounded by debris from the explosion.
He was rushed to hospital but is not thought to have been seriously injured.
The second-floor flat was wrecked by the explosion, which damaged cars parked outside and other properties in the four-storey block and led to residents being evacuated.
Pictures from the scene of devastation showed firefighters trying to clear some of the bricks and other debris from the apartment and making sure it was made as safe as possible so there was minimal risk of further structural collapse.
Authorities have confirmed the survivor is an 88-year-old Brit and well-placed sources described the deceased woman as a British national.
She was 89. She has not been named.
Police forensic experts are currently at the scene, as a full investigation will take place into the cause of the blast.
Neighbour Jose Manuel Garcia told how he was still asleep when he was woken by the explosion, which happened just after 7am.
He said: “I was in bed still and found myself surrounded by debris and dust. I didn’t know what had happened at first."
The building is understood to have been the scene of a previous explosion around 30 years ago.
That blast occurred in a ground-floor premises being used at the time as a fruit and veg shop.
Torre del Mar is one of the main tourist resorts east of Malaga on the Costa del Sol.
The resort of Torre del Mar is the beach resort of the town and part of the municipal district of Vélez-Málaga, capital of the Axarquia region.
