House Collapse in Messina: Search for Those Buried Under the Rubble
Several people are missing following an explosion in a suburb
Messina – A multi-story building collapsed on Thursday afternoon in a residential neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Messina. According to initial reports, the collapse was preceded by an explosion; the ground floor housed commercial spaces, while the upper floors contained apartments. Since then, rescue workers have been searching nonstop for people trapped under the rubble. As of Friday morning, several people were still listed as missing, and several others had been rescued with injuries. That morning, emergency responders discovered a body under the rubble; the identity of the victim had not yet been confirmed. The numbers of missing persons and victims were subject to change as the day progressed.
Initial reports regarding the cause were contradictory. The mayor initially spoke of an exploded gas cylinder, while later assessments also considered a structural failure of the building a possibility. The fire chief urged caution, stating that it was too early to draw conclusions and that both hypotheses were being investigated. The district attorney’s office launched an investigation.
Firefighters, specialized rescue teams for building collapses, search dogs, and drones are on the scene. The rescue effort is being hampered by pockets of embers in the rubble, which could reignite if handled carelessly. A medical triage area has been set up on site for the injured. The fire department commander assumed that there were no other missing persons who had not yet been accounted for.
Moving scenes unfolded on the outskirts of the incident site. A relative of several missing persons urgently asked the public not to call the cell phones of those buried under the rubble. The phones must not be drained by calls because they were needed for location tracking. The mayor activated the city’s crisis management team; he said his thoughts were with those affected and their families, who were waiting anxiously.
