2 dead, 3 missing, 9 hurt in Eni depot blast

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 9 - Two people are dead, three missing, and nine injured after an explosion at an Eni fuel depot near Florence, Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani said Monday.
    Three of the nine are in very serious 'code red' condition, suffering from severe burns and blunt-force trauma, the local health authority said.
    "The rescue and relief operation is still ongoing," said the prefecture in Florence after calling a meeting of its emergency rescue unit.
    Firefighters on Monday afternoon were searching for the three people reported missing in the rubble of the building where the explosion occurred, said regional civil protection councillor, Monia Monni, addressing reporters in an area close to the depot in Calenzano.
    Giani said earlier: "At the moment the situation of the injured transported to our hospitals is constantly evolving: 2 green codes in Careggi, 1 red code for burns in Careggi, 1 yellow code for head trauma in Careggi, 1 red code at the Major Burns Center in Pisa, 2 yellow codes at the hospital in Prato" The explosion took place at a fuel stockage site, Eni said.
    Eni issued a statement saying: "Eni confirms that a fire broke out this morning at the fuel depot in Calenzano (Florence) and that the Fire Brigade is working to put out the flames which are confined to the loading shelter area and do not affect the tanks in any way.
    "The impacts and causes are being immediately verified. Updates will follow".
    Staff at nearby plants said their windows had been blown in by the blast and they had been very scared.
    "It was like a bomb had gone off," they said.
    Firefighters put out the ensuing blaze within a matter of three hours.
    The Florence prefecture told people within a five-kilometre radius of the blast to keep their windows shut.
    The Calenzano exit of the A1 motorway was closed on Monday following the explosion.
    Traffic on the Florence-Bologna and Florence-Prato-Pistoia rail lines was suspended too, causing the cancellation of some services and limitations on others, rail operator RFI said.
    Petrol, diesel and kerosene is received and stored at the 170,300- square-metre Calenzano facility and then distributed from it.
    The plant is connected to Eni's Livorno refinery via two pipelines.
    Eni said the facility had been operating since 1956 and had 24 tanks and 10 loading platforms.
    Florence Mayor Sara Funaro said the situation was "very bad" after the blast.
    "The situation is very bad. There are already two deaths, there are still some missing, we are following the situation together with the prefecture and the municipalities of Calenzano and Prato," she said.
    "We have asked for news on the fumes situation, while waiting for answers from (regional environment agency) ARPAT we invite everyone to be extremely cautious.
    "We have given our availability to immediately activate the possibility of having "psychological" support for family members.
    "At the moment we have no problems in Florence for the air, during the meeting they gave me initial reassurances.
    "We are ready to do what is necessary", she added.
    One of the injured men, a 50-year-old, said they had been thrown for several metres and he was still stunned.
    "I have never seen anything like it in my life, it seemed like thunder had passed through us". The man was in his office about 100 meters from the site of the explosion. He is one of the five injured who were transported directly from there to the emergency room of the Santo Stefano hospital in Prato. None of them suffered serious injuries, but only cuts and trauma that apparently will be reabsorbed in a few days. "We did not understand what happened, because it all happened in a few seconds. The explosion was so strong that it made us jump several meters inside our office, the windows broke and injured us. It was the most traumatic experience of my entire life. I am still stunned".
    Giani said from the blast site in the early afternoon that the situation had been brought back under control.
    "The situation is under control, the firefighters have done an impressive job, avoiding further consequences," he said.
    "The flames have been put out, avoiding any contact with the fuel depots.
    "The depots have remained intact, otherwise the outcome would have been even more dramatic." The A1 motorway has been reopened.
    Premier Giorgia Meloni voiced her condolences for the victims.
    Meloni's office at Palazzo Chigi said she "is following with apprehension the consequences of the fire that broke out in the Eni plant in Calenzano, of which she is constantly informed by the undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, Alfredo Mantovano, and by the Minister for Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, who is in constant and close contact with the head of the Civil Protection Department, Fabio Ciciliano.
    "The prime minister expresses her deepest condolences for the victims, her closeness to the injured and the families affected and her thanks to those who are working hard to provide relief." The chief prosecutor of Prato opened a probe to ascertain "possible responsibilities" for the incident.
    A medical lobby called Medicina Democratica said the blast had been "avoidable", saying "the risks at Calenzano were flagged up in 2020".
    It said "safety measures at the site were insufficient".
    The blast was probably caused by a spill, according to an initial reconstruction.
    Some liquid was probably spilled while tankers were being refilled, said investigators.
    The area where the blast occurred has been cordoned off.
    The town council in Calenzano said there were no health risks stemming from the fire.
    It said ARPAT had said "there are no risks to health caused by the fire that occurred this morning eat the Eni depot".
    The comune added that local rail and motorway links had been reopened. (ANSA).