Italy
Last fatality rescued after explosion at reservoir
The fire brigade secures the site of the explosion at a hydroelectric power station on the Suviana reservoir on April 9th. photo
© Michele Nucci/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa
The accident at the reservoir sparks a debate about occupational safety in Italy. The affected workers were employed by subcontractors.
After the devastating explosion at a hydroelectric power plant on a reservoir in the north Emergency services in Italy recovered the body of the last missing worker on Friday. The number of deaths has now officially risen to seven, as the responsible authorities announced. The rescue workers have been working since the accident on Tuesday to rescue everyone missing. In the days before, they found the bodies of six workers in the flooded areas of the plant.
The exact cause of the accident, which occurred on Tuesday around 3 p.m. at Lake Suviana, is still unclear. According to previous findings, a fire broke out during maintenance work on a turbine about 30 meters below the water level, which then led to an explosion. As a result of the damage, a lot of water entered the building, which made the rescue work of the rescue workers more difficult.
Four other workers who were injured in the explosion are still in hospital, authorities said. Two of them are still in serious condition. The Bologna public prosecutor’s office has now opened an investigation.
The reservoir is located in a regional park in the Apennines between the cities of Bologna and Florence at an altitude of almost 500 meters. The power plant is operated by the Italian electricity supplier Enel. According to authorities, men who worked for subcontractors were involved in the work on the turbine. Since the incident, the issue of occupational safety has been hotly debated in Italy.