Two firefighters were killed
along with a resident and two more firefighters seriously
injured in an explosion in a Catania apartment block on Tuesday
night, local sources said.
The dead firemen were named as Dario Ambiamonte, 40, and
Giorgio Grammatico, 38.
The apartment building resident killed was 75-year-old
Giuseppe Longo.
The two injured firemen are in the intensive care unit of the
Garibaldi Hospital.
One suffered major pulmonary trauma and the other severe
concussion and various other injuries.
"The two men are still in serious condition", hospital
sources said.
The condition of one of the pair, Giuseppe Cannavò, 38,
worsened overnight while the condition of the other, 38-year-old
Marcello Tavormina, was stable.
Tavormina was placed under investigation, as a formality, for
culpable disaster and culpable multiple manslaughter.
Cannavò was said to be fighting for his life while Tavormina
was in a critical but not life-threatening condition, hospital
sources said.
Italy's national fire service commander Gioacchino Giomi
visited the two men in hospital Wednesday.
One firefighter who was unhurt said "it was a dramatic
scene."
He said "I don't know how others were not killed".
Prosecutors have impounded part of the building.
Neighbours were able to return to their homes overnight.
The cause of the blast is still unknown but it is believed to
have been caused by a gas leak.
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