Explosion in fuel depot: At least four workers dead

By Robert Messer

Florence (Italy) - At least four people were killed in an explosion at a fuel depot in Tuscany on Monday.

A cloud of black smoke could be seen from afar on Monday.
A cloud of black smoke could be seen from afar on Monday.  © CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI / ANSA / AFP

The bodies of two more workers were found on the site in the Italian municipality of Calenzano near Florence, according to the authorities. Two deaths had already been reported on Monday.

One worker is still missing. Nine people were injured in the accident on Monday, some of them seriously.

The explosion occurred in a fuel storage facility belonging to the Italian energy company Eni, which in turn is connected to a refinery. A thick black cloud of smoke remained above the site hours after the accident.

According to the company, it is still unclear how the explosion occurred. The public prosecutor's office is now also investigating.

There had been a violent explosion at the plant.
ContentImage.Description   © CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI / ANSA / AFP
The rescue workers have now found four dead bodies.
ContentImage.Description   © CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI / ANSA / AFP

The fatalities and the missing person are workers aged between 45 and 62. One of them - a 45-year-old man - was born in Germany but has Italian citizenship.