A loud explosion occurred this morning in Rome. The roar was clearly heard throughout the capital, with a black column of smoke visible from kilometers away. The explosion occurred around 8 am near a gas station on Via dei Gordiani, in the Prenestino neighborhood. Firefighters and ambulances were on site.Centocelle updates – Newsletter
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A loud explosion occurred this morning in Rome. The roar was clearly heard throughout the capital, with a black column of smoke visible from kilometers away. The explosion occurred around 8 am near a gas station in via dei Gordiani, in the Prenestino neighborhood. Firefighters and ambulances on site.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Explosion in Rome, cloud of smoke visible throughout the city. Witnesses: «A huge roar that shook the windows, like an earthquake»
The toll is 28 injured hospitalized.Since the alarm was raised, the city emergency plan has been activated and all emergency rooms have been alerted according to the guidelines for situations of this kind. Two rescuers from the police force were transported to Umberto I, one for having suffered burns to the face and body while his colleague was intoxicated. Two other injured people were transported to the Vannini emergency room for having suffered bruises and trauma. Again: 12 intoxicated people were transported to the Casilino hospital. Again, mostly men from the police force were overwhelmed by the shock wave of the two explosions. Six other patients were transferred to the San Giovanni hospital, 3 to the Gemelli polyclinic and one to the San Carlo emergency room.
None of them are in danger of life. The area has been cordoned off by the police. While the firefighters are working, the municipal police are managing the traffic in the area. An advanced medical station has been set up on site in a parking lot. This is a facility where injured or intoxicated people are stabilized before being transported to the hospital.The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, speaking from the site of the explosion said: “I thank those who immediately went to the site, carrying out an immediate evacuation, thanks to this extraordinary work all the people were evacuated, there were injuries, but even more serious consequences were avoided”.
Many buildings were damaged: broken glass, torn frames and debris that flew even meters away. “The closure of the tanker’s tank 40 meters away”, said Ennio Aquilino, regional director of the Lazio fire brigade.The police commissioner of Rome, Roberto Massucci, on the sidelines of an initiative at the San Filippo Neri hospital in Rome declared: «Unfortunately it was a serious fire that seems to have come from an accident in the unloading phase of the LPG. The police officers who were carrying out the intervention, as well as other rescuers, have now been hit by this very strong explosion and are now in various hospitals. I am not aware of any life-threatening situations. There are burns for everyone, I am also aware of 16 civilians, including the manager of the distributor but I hope that no further news will arrive in the future».The reconstruction
According to initial information, the firefighters had been called for a truck that had hit a pipeline and, when they arrived, there was an explosion, which also hit the health workers who were already on site. The explosion caused damage to some nearby buildings, while the flames reached a judicial warehouse located behind the distributor. Some passers-by were also reportedly injured. The firefighters are still working to secure the area and determine the causes of the explosion.«LPG malfunction, like a bomb explosion»
«It was an explosion following a “LPG Bleve” (a malfunction of the gas system, ed.) comparable to a bomb explosion. After an initial intervention for a gas leak, for which the firefighters arrived in a short time, the explosion arrived». This was stated by the regional director of the Lazio firefighters, Ennio Aquilino, regarding the explosion that occurred in Rome, who also clarified that investigations into the causes are still underway.About fifty people evacuated
«In the area of the destroyed petrol station in Rome, which also had a depot for LPG refueling, there were several explosions and some vehicles caught fire, including some 118 ambulances. Near the station there is also a 118 depot where there are several oxygen cylinders: the structure was evacuated, as well as the summer centre for children and some surrounding homes. In total, about fifty people were evacuated. Checks are underway to understand whether the fires may have also involved the oxygen cylinders in the depot». This is what the major commander of the Carabinieri Company of Rome Casilina, Andrea Quattrocchi, said.
Chain reaction
The fire on Via Gordiani «is not yet under control, the explosion is causing chain reactions». This was stated by the spokesperson for the Rome prosecutor’s office, Elisabetta Accardo, on SkyTg24. “So our priority right now – he added – is to clear the area and check if there are people in danger nearby. The provisional toll is 8 burned policemen, they are not in danger of life”.Meloni in contact with Gualtieri
The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, according to sources at Palazzo Chigi, is following the consequences of the explosion. The Prime Minister has spoken to the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and is in close contact with the undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, who is constantly informed by the competent authorities, with particular attention to the health of those involved.
Citizens’ fear: awakened by the roar
“We were awakened by a roar, it sounded like a bomb, an attack”. This is how Paola, a resident of an apartment building on Via dei Gordiani, describes the moments of fear she felt this morning immediately after the explosion in Rome. “We didn’t understand what it was, all the windows shook. It could have been a bomb, the earthquake, we didn’t understand. Then from the smoke we understood that it was an explosion” says Francesco, a tenant of a building next door.
Prosecutor’s Office opens investigation
The Rome Prosecutor’s Office is awaiting the first reports from the firefighters and law enforcement officers who intervened in the explosion on Via dei Gordiani in Rome. In light of the file, the prosecutors, coordinated by deputy prosecutor Giovanni Conzo, will open an investigation file. The causes of the powerful explosion are being ascertained.
