A horrific explosion and building collapse in an Italian resort town has killed one person and injured several others. A child is among the injured, as rescuers desperately search the rubble for a missing woman.
Initial reports suggested the explosion occurred around 6 a.m. in a two-story building in Porto Sant’elpidio, Italy. Two families were living in the building when the explosion shook the town and caused it to collapse.
The body of a 55-year-old man was pulled from the rubble, firefighters said. His elderly parents are among the injured – they were treated at the scene before being rushed to two different hospitals.
The woman was transported by helicopter to Torrette di Ancona, while the man was taken to nearby Fermo. A young boy was also pulled alive from the rubble, as was a woman.
Two people were also evacuated from the building next to the explosion using a ladder truck. Firefighters are desperately searching for any survivors left in the rubble of the building.
They are using drones, dogs and excavators as they search for a missing woman. Initial reports suggest the deadly explosion was caused by a gas leak.
A second-floor apartment was hit hardest by the explosion. It completely destroyed the building and shattered windows of buildings and shops on the surrounding streets.
An investigation has been launched into the horrific explosion. The blast comes after an ancient Roman tower collapsed last year, trapping a man under the rubble.
Shocking footage showed the Torre dei Conti Tower in Rome collapsing to the ground, killing a worker. A Romanian man in his 60s, who had been trapped under the rubble for up to 12 hours, died in hospital after being pulled from the rubble.
Two other workers had to be rescued from the rubble but escaped with minor injuries. Another worker, 67-year-old Ottaviano, was inside at the time of the collapse but emerged from a balcony without injury.