Blast at Italian fuel depot near Florence kills two, injures nine

Two people died and nine were injured after an explosion on Monday at a fuel depot facility near Florence owned by Italian energy firm Eni ENI, the president of the Tuscany region said. Three people remain missing.

"All of Tuscany is united in grief for the tragedy that happened today," Eugenio Giani wrote in a social media post.

The explosion in Calenzano, on the northern outskirts of the Tuscan capital, occurred in an area where trucks load fuel to be taken to petrol stations. Other depots nearby were not affected.

"Otherwise, the outcome would have been more tragic," Giani told reporters.

Three of the wounded were in life-threatening condition, regional health authorities said.

According to initial findings, a cloud of fuel vapour exploded, causing the fire and the collapse of a building at the site, Monia Monni, regional minister for civil protection, told reporters.

The blaze, which produced a thick column of black smoke visible from a distance, prompted warnings for residents to stay away from the area and to seek shelter indoors. It was extinguished within an hour.

Tuscany's environment protection agency said there were no public health risks from the explosion, municipal authorities said, also ruling out contamination of public water supplies.

The depot in Calenzano covers an area of around 180,000 square meters and is connected to an Eni refinery on the Tuscan coast. Its 24 tanks are used to store gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Prato said they would open an investigation to determine criminal responsibility for the accident, adding that police, forensic doctors and technical advisers were already involved.

In a statement, Eni expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and others involved in the accident, and said it was fully cooperating with judicial authorities.

Trade unions called for a thorough investigation.

The head of CISL, Luigi Sbarra said that "all companies, large and small, must comply with regulations on accident prevention" and invest more on maintenance, safety checks and workforce training.

"Protecting human lives comes before profit," he added.

According to state agency Inail, more than 590,000 workers were injured in Italy last year, including 1,147 who lost their lives. Better workplace safety was one of the demands behind a national strike held on Nov. 29.