Image copyright EPA Image caption The Ritz Hotel in Madrid is currently undergoing a renovation

One person has died and 11 are injured after scaffolding collapsed at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid, where building work has been under way.

The city's emergency services said part of the sixth floor had come down, with reports it fell down to the first.

Two of the wounded were taken to hospital with serious injuries, while the others were less badly hurt.

All those involved were working on the renovation. At least three had to be pulled from the rubble, AFP reports.

The collapse happened shortly after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT). Emergency services tweeted pictures and footage of the scene.

Reports say the collapse happened in the inner courtyard of the 110-year old hotel.

Witnesses told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that scaffolding and some of the building's structure collapsed.

The Ritz Hotel closed in February for renovations thought to cost around 99 million euros (£88m), and is due to reopen late in 2019.

The establishment is part of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.</s>A man has died and at least eight people have been injured after scaffolding collapsed at the five-star Hotel Ritz in Madrid.

The prestigious hotel is undergoing multi-million pound renovation work and it has been closed since the end of February.

The Ritz had been expected to re-open at the end of next year.

The drama happened around 4pm this afternoon after a concrete deck fell and dragged scaffolding with it from the sixth-floor to a first floor.

A field hospital has been set up at the scene as part of a major accident response.

Rescue services are understood to be trying to reach several people trapped under iron and rubble.

The nationalities of the victims is not yet known. All are thought to be workers involved in the renovation.

A spokesman for a local emergency services coordinator confirmed: “Accident at the Ritz. Firefighters are working inside to rescue people who are trapped. Medical teams are assisting the injured.”

A spokesman for another emergency response unit tweeted: “Scaffolding at the site of the renovation work has collapsed.”

One of the injured men is believed to be in a critical condition after suffering a broken skull. He has been rushed to Gregorio Maranon Hospital.

A worker at a building opposite said: “We heard a huge crashing sound and when we got down to street level saw the ambulances arriving.”

Unconfirmed reports say the collapse may have occurred when a crane hit the scaffolding.

The Ritz was Madrid’s first luxury hotel. It is currently owned by Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental.

Famous guests have included Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, Zsa-Zsa Gabor, and more recently former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.</s>A scaffolding collapse that killed one construction worker and left 11 others injured as they were refurbishing Madrid's iconic luxury Ritz hotel was due to a weight overload on the sixth floor which caused the metal structure to buckle and come crashing down, authorities and witnesses said Wednesday.

The accident resulted in the death of a 42-year-old builder of African origin, while two of the injured, both aged 41-years-old, were in serious condition in two of Madrid's leading hospitals, authorities said.</s>At least one person died, two became trapped and seven others were injured Tuesday after scaffolding being used in the refurbishment of Madrid's iconic Ritz luxury hotel collapsed, emergency services said.

According to the capital's emergency services, an accident led to the collapse of the scaffolding inside the hotel and a number of builders were being treated for injuries by the city's first responders while the search was on for those trapped under the rubble.</s>One person was killed and 11 others injured Tuesday when scaffolding being used in the refurbishment of Madrid's iconic Ritz hotel collapsed, authorities told EFE.

Five of the 11 injured people were attended to and released by medical personnel at the scene, and six others were taken to local hospitals, where two of them are listed in serious condition.</s>Emergency services at the scene on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

One worker died and 11 others were injured after scaffolding collapsed during renovation work at Madrid's Ritz hotel Tuesday, emergency services said.

"Final toll from the collapse of scaffolding at the Ritz: 11 people treated and one deceased," the city emergency services tweeted.

Six people were taken to hospital and two were reported to have suffered serious injury after the scaffolding came down during the late afternoon.

An emergency services spokeswoman told AFP at least three workers had to be pulled from the rubble.

The luxury five-star hotel in central Madrid, opened in 1910, has been closed for several months undergoing extensive work.

READ MORE: Madrid's Ritz to get more glitz in Saudi makeover</s>Multi-million pound renovation work was going on at the hotel, which was closed at the end of February and was due to reopen at the end of next year.

The drama happened around 4pm this afternoon after a concrete deck fell and dragged scaffolding with it from the sixth-floor to a first floor.

A field hospital has been set up at the scene as part of a major accident response.

Rescue services are understood to be trying to reach several people trapped under iron and rubble.</s>MADRID — Scaffolding at a luxury hotel undergoing renovation in central Madrid collapsed on Tuesday, killing one construction worker and injuring at least 11 others, an official said.

Wrought iron work on the sixth floor of the centrally located Ritz Hotel collapsed shortly after 4 p.m. (1400 GMT; 10 a.m. EDT), dragging the internal scaffolding down five stories along with the workers, according to the official from the emergency services.

Most of the workers emerged on their own and were treated for injuries ranging from minor to moderate, with two of them hospitalized in critical condition.

Firefighters rescued three people from the rubble with moderate injuries and were working to recover the body of the worker that was killed.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to be named due to internal rules, said the local Madrid police would be investigating the cause of the collapse, which emergency services called "an occupational accident" in a tweet.

An Associated Press photographer saw ambulances and firefighters working at the scene surrounded by dozens of onlookers. There were no signs of the collapse visible from the exterior of the building.

The Ritz Hotel, located near Spain's parliament and Madrid's famed Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums, had been closed for a full renovation since March.</s>MADRID, Sept 19 — One worker died and two others were badly hurt after scaffolding collapsed during renovation work at Madrid’s Ritz hotel yesterday, emergency services said.

“Final toll from the collapse of scaffolding at the Ritz: 11 people treated and one deceased,” the city emergency services tweeted.

Six people were taken to hospital and two were reported to have suffered serious injury after the scaffolding came down during the late afternoon.

An emergency services spokeswoman told AFP at least three workers had to be pulled from the rubble.

The luxury five-star hotel in central Madrid, opened in 1910, has been closed for several months undergoing extensive work. — AFP</s>MADRID: One construction worker was killed and at least 11 injured when scaffolding and wrought iron work collapsed at the luxury Ritz Hotel in Madrid during renovation work on Tuesday, emergency services said.

The body of the worker remained trapped inside the collapsed structure, emergency services said. Two more workers are seriously injured. Video footage showed ambulances and emergency workers gathered on the street outside the belle epoque hotel.

The Ritz hotel, owned by the Mandarin Oriental group and situation in central Madrid near the Retiro park, has been closed since February while it undergoes major renovation work.
The sixth floor of the Hotel Ritz in Madrid, Spain, collapses resulting in the death of one person while 12 others are injured.