Daily Sabah logo

Politics
Diplomacy Legislation War On Terror EU Affairs Elections News Analysis
TÜRKİYE
Istanbul Education Investigations Minorities Expat Corner Diaspora
World
Mid-East Europe Americas Asia Pacific Africa Syrian Crisis Islamophobia
Business
Automotive Economy Energy Finance Tourism Tech Defense Transportation News Analysis
Lifestyle
Health Environment Travel Food Fashion Science Religion History Feature Expat Corner
Arts
Cinema Music Events Portrait Reviews Performing Arts
Sports
Football Basketball Motorsports Tennis
Opinion
Columns Op-Ed Reader's Corner Editorial
PHOTO GALLERY
JOBS ABOUT US RSS PRIVACY CONTACT US
© Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2023

Daily Sabah logo

عربي
  • Politics
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • Elections
    • News Analysis
  • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Expat Corner
    • Diaspora
  • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • Islamophobia
  • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
  • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Reviews
    • Performing Arts
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
  • Gallery
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
  • TV
  • World
  • Mid-East
  • Europe
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Africa
  • Syrian Crisis
  • Islamophobia

Several dead as search for survivors continues after Sicily blast

by French Press Agency - AFP

ROME Dec 12, 2021 - 5:59 pm GMT+3
Firefighters work after a four-story apartment building collapsed, following a gas explosion, in Ravanusa, Sicily, Italy, Dec. 12, 2021. (Vigili del Fuoco via AFP)
Firefighters work after a four-story apartment building collapsed, following a gas explosion, in Ravanusa, Sicily, Italy, Dec. 12, 2021. (Vigili del Fuoco via AFP)
by French Press Agency - AFP Dec 12, 2021 5:59 pm

Three people were killed and six are still missing as firefighters continued to search through the piles of rubble for survivors after a massive gas explosion late on Saturday toppled several residential buildings in the Sicilian town of Ravanusa, Italian authorities said on Sunday.

Although two women were recovered alive from the debris early Sunday following the buildings' collapse Saturday night in the southern town of Ravanusa, six people remained missing and Sicily's regional civil protection unit confirmed three deaths.

The explosion, which occurred around 7:30 p.m. GMT Saturday, and was believed to have been caused by a gas leak, appeared to have leveled four buildings in the central residential district of Ravanusa, a town of nearly 11,000 inhabitants.

Television images showed a mass of rubble, wooden beams and mangled steel in a large empty space, with neighboring buildings charred and damaged.

As the day wore on, firefighting rescue teams continued to comb through the wreckage, removing slabs of concrete and other materials, but without new signs of survivors.

"Since this morning when we saved two women, for a few hours now we haven't heard signals under the rubble," Luca Cari, the spokesperson for Italy's national firefighters, told Sky TG24 television.

"This certainly doesn't mean at all that we've given up hope but obviously with the time passing it doesn't play in our favour."

The civil protection unit said on its website that "four buildings were involved" in the incident, but local news reports said the number was higher.

Drone footage published on the firefighters' Twitter page showed smoke still rising from the wreckage site, while adjacent buildings showed major signs of damage, including roofs half blown off.

'Huge shock wave'

Firefighters, accompanied by bulldozers, sorted through the tall pile of concrete rubble, in which a smashed car and destroyed domestic appliances like ovens, air conditioners and refrigerators could be seen.

A "huge shock wave" from the explosion was felt 100 meters (328 feet) away, said Salvatore Cocina, head of the regional civil protection unit.

Authorities said the explosion was likely caused by a gas leak and an investigation had been opened.

"The gas probably found a cavity in which to accumulate," the head of firefighters in the province of Agrigento, Giuseppe Merendino, told the Rainews24 TV channel.

"This pocket of gas would then have found an accidental trigger: a car, an elevator, an electrical appliance."

The two women who were uncovered alive under the rubble were found by sniffer dogs, Merendino said.

"Everything is extremely difficult because the buildings have collapsed on top of each other and the rubble is overlapping," he said, as quoted in the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia.

"We have to look for spaces between the rubble to recover the missing," he said.

"Now, unfortunately, the dogs have given us no further indication and we have to search by other methods."

Soon after the explosion, Ravanusa Mayor Carmelo D'Angelo appealed on Facebook for "everyone available who has shovels and bulldozers."

"There has been a disaster," he said.

About 50 people have been displaced due to the incident, D'Angelo told Rainews24.

Sicily, one of Italy's poorest regions, suffers from sub-standard and aging infrastructure.

Many homes and other structures constructed in past decades were built using cheap, sub-par materials that make them more prone to collapse, often because of interference in building contracts by the mafia.

  • shortlink copied
  • RELATED TOPICS
    fight-against-terrorism DEUTSCHE-BANK US-LIBYA-RELATIONS
    KEYWORDS
    gas explosion sicily italy europe blast
    The Daily Sabah Newsletter
    Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, it’s region and the world.
    You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    An amateur photographer Vincent Cornelissen captures a bean goose flying upside down. (Photo from Instagram @b0unce1971)

    It is showing off: Photographer captures goose flying upside down

    ANIMALS-ARCHIVES
    Parts of the newly completed last section of the Northern Marmara Motorway, Istanbul, Turkey, May 19, 2021. (DHA Photo)

    Turkey raises speed limits on highways starting from July

    SPEED-LIMIT

    Türkiye's 1st domestic heavy-class attack helicopter starts engine

    heavy-class-attack-helicopter

    Istanbul's consulate chronicles: Sudhi Choudhary, Consul General of India

    SUDHI-CHOUDHARY
    Turkey marks 106th Çanakkale Victory anniversary
    PHOTOGALLERY
    • POLITICS
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • News Analysis
    • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Diaspora
    • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • İslamophobia
    • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
    • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Performing Arts
    • Reviews
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
    • Photo gallery
    • Jobs
    • privacy
    • about us
    • contact us
    • RSS
    © Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2021