At least thirty-one people were injured after an explosion, “probably due to a gas leak”, in a building housing asylum seekers in central Italy, firefighters learned on Saturday.
Video released by firefighters shows parts of the two-story building in San Lorenzo Nuovo, near Viterbo, reduced to rubble after the explosion shortly before midnight on Friday.
The firefighters stated in a statement that there had been an “explosion and partial collapse” of the building, presented as a reception center for asylum seekers, “probably as a result of a gas leak.”
After searches carried out during the night, in particular with the help of dogs, the number of injured rises to 31.
A person in serious condition was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Rome and is currently in a coma, according to the Ansa news agency.
According to Ansa, the building was made up of mini-apartments that housed asylum seekers, mainly men, but also women without children.
An investigation into the causes of the explosion is underway.
