At least two people die in a house collapse in Sicily after a gas explosion. Several people are still missing.
Palermo – In the southern Italian town of Ravanusa in Sicily, a residential building collapsed on Saturday evening (December 11th, 2021) as a result of a gas explosion. Several neighboring buildings were also destroyed. During rescue work on Sunday night, two people were found dead, according to information from the Ansa news agency, two women have so far been rescued from the rubble and taken to hospitals.
The search for up to seven missing persons continues because the scene of the accident is still not fully secured. Due to gas leaks, individual fires are still flaring up in the rubble. As the agency reports, there is also a pregnant woman among the missing.
Gas explosion in Sicily – Mayor of Ravanusa: “There are voices under the rubble”
“Suddenly the light was gone, and then the roof and the floor came down,” the media quoted the 80-year-old resident Rosa Carmina, who was rescued from the house by emergency services. She was trapped under rubble and screamed for help.
The mayor of the town near Agrigento with around 10,000 inhabitants in the south of the island speaks of a “tragedy”. “More than three houses were hit by the flames. There are voices under the rubble, ”said Carmelo D’Angelo.
Misfortune in Sicily: helpers report on states of war, rescue work continues
According to the Ansa agency, a gas pipe exploded on Saturday evening and caused the four-story building to collapse. Flames and widely scattered debris could be seen in photos and videos. A total of six buildings were destroyed by the accident, reporters and emergency services report on “the scenario of a war” in the Sicilian city.
In an interview with the Adnkrokos news agency, the head of the regional civil protection, Salvo Cocina, compared the situation in the town with the situation after the devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. He spoke of shattered glass and debris that had been hurled dozens of meters from the site of the explosion. “We are ready to search the rubble as soon as the area is secured.” (Ska / dpa)
A hurricane raged on the southern Italian island of Sicily just a few weeks ago, causing flooding and destruction. Several people died.
