Rescue operation is underway for survivors after an explosion in Sicily

Rescue operation is underway for survivors after an explosion in Sicily. 

Rescuers will work late into nighttime in the Sicilian city of Ravanusa to locate survivors of a gas explosion that killed three people.

Officials declared on Sunday, two bodies were discovered alive in the rubble, and six others were missing.

“We have two amazing friends who are still in the hood, and we’re praying to God to have them pulled out without a hitch,” resident Lillo Cavallaro said to the media.

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The blast occurred late on Saturday evening, four homes collapsed, and three were damaged, officials declared, adding that the explosion was most likely caused due to a gas leak in the town’s pipes. However, an investigation is underway to determine the reason.

The operator of gas grids Italgas expressed its condolences and sadness to those living in Ravanusa. However, it stated that its emergency service had not received any reports of leaks in the gas grid last week.

“The Ravanusa distribution network was completely inspected between 2020 and 2021,” stated the company, noting that there no construction sites were found on the pipeline that was affected.

Residents in the town of 11,000 watched Sunday as civil-protection rescuers searched for survivors.

“It is a tiny town where everyone knows the other,” said 69-year-old pensioner Arcangelo D’Angelo. But, he added that he knew about the missing persons. “What we’re witnessing here is a harrowing story, and we’re left with no words.”

Ravanusa is situated near the southern Sicilian city Agrigento. The town is known because of the city’s Greek temples.