An explosion at a fuel depot in the central Italian region of Tuscany on Monday resulted in the tragic loss of at least two lives and left 14 individuals injured, according to authorities.
The blast caused the collapse of a building housing offices, with three individuals reported missing, as confirmed by regional environmental official Monia Monni in an interview with SKY TG24.
The incident took place at an ENI fuel depot located north of Florence, leading to a dark plume of smoke billowing into the sky. Witnesses several kilometers away described hearing a loud bang and feeling tremors from the explosion.
Italy's ENI oil company has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the blast at the depot in Calenzano, near Florence.
Despite the intensity of the explosion, swift action by emergency responders contained the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to nearby storage tanks from the loading dock area where the explosion originated.
As a precautionary measure, residents in the vicinity were advised to keep their windows closed. However, subsequent assessments by environmental officials confirmed that the air quality was deemed safe, alleviating concerns about potential health risks from the smoke.
The incident also led to a temporary disruption in regional train services due to the smoke, but normal operations are expected to resume once the situation is fully under control.
