Bergamo: explosion in a block of flats – 9 injured
Fifty people have been evacuated from Borgo Santa Cateria following an explosion in a kitchen. A couple are in a serious condition
Around fifty people were forced to leave their homes following the explosion that took place at 7.30 pm on Monday 5 October in Via Longo in Bergamo. The building has been declared unfit for habitation. The police have established that the explosion originated in the kitchen of a ground-floor flat, where a Romanian couple were living; both were seriously injured.
The two suffered burns and were taken as emergency cases to Niguarda Hospital in Milan: the woman’s condition is critical. In total, nine people were injured. Earlier that afternoon, some residents had already detected a smell of gas in Via Longo, in the centre of the Lombard city. A few hours later, a powerful explosion occurred in the building in Borgo Santa Caterina.
Five fire engines, officers from the national police and the local police, five ambulances and two emergency medical vehicles rushed to the scene immediately. The public prosecutor on duty that evening, Emanuele Marchisio, was also present.
The local council turned to a private facility to secure beds for the evacuated residents. Throughout the night, the fire brigade carried out inspections, both in the building where the explosion took place and in the surrounding buildings, to check their structural stability and safety. Via Longo remained closed throughout the night.
