Eight young people were injured in
the small hours in an explosion at a game room in Italy's
southern Puglia region, sources said Thursday.
Three of the victims were in serious condition in hospital.
The explosion occurred shortly after midnight at the Green
Table game room in the town of Altamura near the Puglia regional
capital of Bari, which is frequented largely by young people.
Investigators say it may have been caused by a paper bomb
placed on a window ledge by a member of the local extortion
racket.
"It looked like a war zone," said a firefighter who arrived
on the scene.
"There was glass everywhere and the injured were calling
for help, there was a young person lying on the floor covered in
blood, it was a terrible sight," he said.
A pub next to the game room was also damaged in the
explosion but no one there was hurt.
DDA anti-mafia investigators are probing the incident.
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