dpa
Rome
At least two workers were killed in a powerful explosion at a refinery near the Italian city of Florence, the ANSA news agency reported on Monday, citing the local authorities.
Nine other people were injured, some of them seriously, and three people were still missing hours after the event. A large number of firefighters were deployed to the scene.
There are fears that the casualty figure could rise. The ages of the dead, injured and missing are reported to be between 45 and 62.
The site is a fuel depot belonging to the Italian energy company Eni linked to a refinery.
Initial reports said the blast occurred mid-morning on the site of the refinery. The company said how the accident occurred remained unclear.
The explosion could be heard kilometres away. “We heard a huge explosion, all the window panes shattered and our shelves fell to the ground,” ANSA quoted an employee of another factory near the refinery as saying.
Others feared an earthquake had occurred.
Pictures on social media showed a dense column of black smoke rising into the sky above the scene, which could be seen from a great distance.
