Emergency services have rushed three people to hospital and evacuated dozens after an explosion tore through three apartment buildings in Rome.
The blast tore through a residential street in Piana del Sole, Rome, today with local media reporting that it was caused by the detonation of gas cylinders buried in a back garden.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Via Tavagnasco and Via Ciglie.
Corriere Della Sera reported that debris from the explosion was found up to 660ft away from its origin.
The elderly owners of the property the gas canisters were buried in, a husband and wife respectively aged 84 and 86, were taken to the nearby Sant’Eugenio Hospital in a critical condition.
They were named as Michele and Chiara De Bari. Both suffered burns to at least 20% of their bodies, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
A 24-year-old man was taken to hospital to be evaluated, after firefighters rescued people trapped in the rubble of the buildings.
In total, five buildings were left uninhabitable, while 29 people were forced to evacuate from the area.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Via Tavagnasco and Via Ciglie
The blast tore through a residential street in Piana del Sole, Rome, today
Several cars parked nearby were also damaged in the explosion.
Cristian, a local resident, told the Italian newspaper: ‘We were at home, and at a certain point we heard thunder and a piece of wood flew into our kitchen. The blast also bent the windows in our house.’
Giorgia, another resident, said: ‘[Firefighters] told me the windows and doors had exploded. As soon as I arrived, I smelled the strong smell of gas.’
Several teams of firefighters and police were sent to the area to deal with the aftermath of the explosion, and are still at the scene conducting a formal investigation into exactly what happened.
Roberto Gualtieri, Rome’s mayor, said after thanking emergency services: ‘Firefighters will determine the cause. it appears to be a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder in one of the houses.
‘The power of the explosion is quite impressive. The surrounding buildings are damaged, some will be uninhabitable. We need to figure out how many people will need to be moved.’
