The provisional toll of the explosion, which could be due to gas, which blew up several buildings in Sicily was increased, Monday, December 13, to seven dead and two missing, four new bodies having been found by rescuers in the rubble in dawn, almost 36 hours after the tragedy.
Rescuers were still looking in the rubble on Monday for two people missing after the explosion, which occurred early Saturday night, which destroyed four buildings in the town of Ravanusa, in the south of the Italian island, a let the regional unit of civil protection of Sicily know on Facebook.
Among the victims, a 30-year-old nurse, nine months pregnant and due to give birth next week. The body of Selene Pascariello was released along with those of her husband, Giuseppe Carmina, and the latter’s parents. A retired teacher, recently recovered from a serious form of Covid-19, is also among the victims.
#Ravanusa #crollo palazzo: scavano senza sosta the squadre #USAR, da oltre 40 ore 100 #vigilidelfuoco proseguono le delicate e complesse operazioni tra le maceration. In corso the ultimate ricerca delle 2 persone disperses [#13dicembre 12:00] pic.twitter.com/sl1lr0YZZ2
– Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) December 13, 2021
The explosion blew up four buildings, including a four-story building, in a residential area in the center of Ravanusa, a city of some 11,000 inhabitants.
“It’s as if a plane had crashed into our building”, told a resident of a building adjoining the collapsed building, quoted by the Ansa agency. Television images show a gigantic pile of rubble with charred and damaged buildings in the surrounding area.
An investigation has been opened for manslaughter. Authorities believe the explosion could be linked to a gas leak.