THREE people have been rushed to hospital after an explosion tore through three apartment buildings in Italy’s capital.
Dozens of others have been evacuated after the blast ripped through Piana del Sole, a residential street in Rome, causing three buildings to collapse.
The explosion occurred in on building which was ‘completely destroyed’Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Emergency services at the scene in Piana del Sole, RomeCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Apartments were torn apart by the blastCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
The explosion was caused by the detonation of gas cylinders buried in a back garden, according to local media.
The owners of the property the gas canisters were buried in were taken to the nearby Sant’Eugenio Hospital.
The husband and wife, Michele De Bari, 84, and Chiara De Bari, 86, are in a critical condition.
They both suffered burns of at least 20 per cent of their bodies.
But their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
A man, aged 24, was also taken to hospital for assessment after being pulled from the rubble of the buildings by firefighters.
Debris spewed out across the neighbourhood, up to 660ft away from its origin, according to Corriere della Sera .
Images from the scene show the decimated walls of the affected homes as well as damaged cars that had been parked nearby.
A resident told the outlet: “We heard a deafening bang coming from the house across from ours: debris struck everything — the large window, my son’s car, the gate — everything was destroyed.”
“Fortunately, my wife, the dog, and I are fine.”
Five buildings were left uninhabitable in total, while 70 people were forced to evacuate the area.
Several teams of firefighters and police were sent to the area to deal with the aftermath of the explosion.
Local police are working with the Civil Protection Department to arrange housing assistance for those who were evacuated.
Other witnesses described the windows in their homes being “bent” by the force of the blast.
Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome, said in a statement, to Nova News: “I want to extend my thoughts to the injured, wishing them a speedy recovery, and I want to thank the firefighters, local police, Civil Protection, and healthcare workers, as well as the City Council and the president, who are all here to offer support and assistance to those in need.
“We won’t leave them alone.”
The mayor said the explosion occurred in on building which was “completely destroyed”, with the surrounding homes suffering varying damage.
Adding: “Firefighters will determine the cause. It appears to be a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder in one of the houses.
“The power of the explosion is quite impressive.
“The surrounding buildings are damaged, some will be uninhabitable. We need to figure out how many people will need to be moved.”
Emergency responders work through the rubble after the explosionCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
The cause of the incident remains under investigation as residents are evacuated from the areaCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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