Aerial footage shows the damage caused by the gas blast in a Spanish town, leaving nearly 50 residents homeless.

Reports suggest the explosion may have been triggered by a damaged city gas pipe during street light installation work in Mieres, Asturias, on Monday, March 3.

The massive explosion destroyed a three-storey building.

Locals reported smelling gas from the suspected punctured pipe in the neighbourhood before the blast. The infrastructure company Elecnor was called to the scene, but workers were unable to shut off the gas in time.

At least 18 people were injured, with five taken to hospital, three of whom sustained serious injuries.

A 64-year-old woman was transported to the burns unit at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, while a 22-year-old man and a 47-year-old remain in intensive care at the Central University Hospital of Asturias (HUCA) in Oviedo.

Rescue teams and sniffer dogs from the Principality of Asturias Emergency Service (SEPA) searched the wreckage and confirmed no one was trapped beneath the debris.

Forty-nine locals were left homeless, with 37 accommodated in a hotel and 12 in a student residence provided by Mieres Town Hall.

Firefighters will escort neighbours from nearby buildings to retrieve essential items before the demolition of the damaged structures begins.

The Spanish Red Cross psychosocial team has been on site since early morning, providing support to those displaced.

The Mayor of Mieres, Manuel Angel Alvarez, and the councillor for health, Concepcion Saavedra, also visited the incident scene.