Horror as brother and sister aged 4 and 6 die after building collapses in Italy
by Charlie Duffield · LBCBy Charlie Duffield
A two-story building has collapsed in the southern Italian province of Naples, killing two young siblings and burying their mother and another woman in the rubble, firefighters have said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The firefighters said on their official Telegram channel that a gas explosion likely caused the collapse.
Rescuers in the town of Saviano recovered the bodies of a 6-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.
Their 2-year-old brother was found alive and the father was hospitalized in Naples in serious condition.
Firefighers’ spokesman Luca Cari said that rescuers had to be “very careful and move slowly, to avoid new collapses” as they searched for the two women.
Read More: 'We will get Britain building', Angela Rayner pledges, as deputy PM opens Labour party conference
Mayor Vincenzo Simonelli was at the scene and told reporters that the building appeared “crumpled up on itself,” adding it was “a very serious situation.”
Media reports said a gas leak could have caused the explosion that rocked the second floor of the building, which crumbled down, covering the lower floor with rubble.