
Explosion rocks major European capital as locals run for their lives
The city was rocked by a huge explosion that shook through the east of Rome, at around 8am this morning, and was heard through most of the Italian capital.
21 people have reportedly been left injured by the horror explosion in the Prenestino area, and emergency services are still at the scene.
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The number of injured people from this morning's blast has reportedly risen to 21.
Inital reports have suggested none of these people sustained serious injuries.
Goirgia Meloni has reportedly reached out to the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, about the shocking blaze.
The Prime Minister has not shared a public message about the explosion yet.
Shocking footage filemd by a passerby caught the blast on camera.
The video appeared to show an object get shot out of the blaze while the local started to desperately run from the fire.
At least 10 people have been injured in the blast.
Eight police officers, a firefighter, and an emergency services operator have reportedly been left with injuries after the explosion, according to Ansa.it.
At least one firefighter and several emergency service responders have been left injured after the shock blast.
According to inital local reports, firefighters were called to the scene after reports of a truck that had hit a pipeline. By the time they got to the area, there had been an explosion.
One of these firefighters was reportedly rushed to hospital. The blast also caused some damage to nearby buildings.
The petrol station explosion sent a huge cloud of black smoke into the sky over Rome.
The blast, in the eastern Prenestino district of Rome, was heard across the capital.
Plumes of smoke were also seen rising ovet the city early this morning.
One shocked resident shared their terrifying account of this morning's explosion, according to La Repubblica.
They said: "I woke up with a start, I heard a very loud explosion, it sounded like a bomb." Another local said: "All the windows shook, I thought it was an earthquake."
Locals immediately fled their homes and motorists bolted from the area after two explosions at the petrol station.
Witnesses reported the smell of gas before the first explosion. This was then followed by a second stromger shot into the air and a terrifying ball of fire.
The shocking petrol station has left three people injured.
A huge fireball was seen over the city after the explosion in the east of Rome.

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RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- RTÉ News
At least 45 injured in Rome petrol station explosion
At least 45 people have been injured in a huge explosion at a petrol station in Rome, according to Italian authorities. They include 12 police officers and six firefighters. The blast happened at the distributor of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the city's eastern neighbourhood of Prenestino just after 8am (7am Irish time). The injured are being treated in local hospitals, Italian news agencies reported, with two in a critical condition due to extensive burns and needing ventilation support. Website Roma Today published a photograph of a huge ball of flame and smoke rising high into the sky. Separate images released by the fire department showed the petrol station almost gutted. "I pray for the people involved in the explosion of a gas station (...) in the heart of my Diocese. I continue to follow the developments of this tragic incident with concern," Pope Leo XIV wrote on social media. Firefighters and ambulance workers were caught up in the blast as they had been called to the scene earlier, after a truck hit a pipeline at the petrol station, Italian media said. Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri, speaking from the site, told reporters that an incident during fuel-tank refilling operations was suspected, causing a gas leak, followed by a fire and the explosion. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked police, firefighters and other emergency services for helping to ensure "that this tragic event didn't have even more serious consequences". The station had the Eni brand but was not owned by the Italian energy group, the company said in a statement. A sports centre that hosts a youth summer camp opposite the site was evacuated before the blast, a representative said in a Facebook video, adding that the five children in its care were safe and with their families.


Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Rome petrol station explosion leaves 25 injured
A petrol station explosion in Rome has injured at least 25 people, including nine police officers and a firefighter. The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8am on Friday and sent up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire that was visible from several areas of the city. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said that local police and firefighters rushed to the area after receiving a report of a gas leak. Two explosions followed after they arrived, he added. 'Local police immediately evacuated a sports centre nearby, while other officers evacuated buildings on the other side of the gas station, avoiding a much more serious tragedy,' Mr Gualtieri said. Residents were evacuated (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP) Elisabetta Accardo, Rome's police spokeswoman, said that 16 residents were injured, including two who were in 'severe conditions' at Rome's Casilino hospital. 'Nine of the injured are from law enforcement corps — police and carabinieri — and one is a firefighter,' she said. 'But luckily they are not in life-threatening conditions.' Fifteen firefighting teams were at the site trying to bring the fire under control. Rome prosecutors have begun an investigation into the cause of the explosion, which could be related to a previous gas leak during the unloading phase of liquified petroleum gas at the station. The sports centre was evacuated swiftly by police following the first explosion, with several children brought to safety. Police said they checked the surrounding area for people who were injured or trapped in nearby buildings. Barbara Belardinelli said that she and her daughter were slightly injured when they heard the first explosion and left their home to investigate before the next explosion struck them. 'As soon as we heard the second explosion, we were also hit by a ball of fire. I thought that a car near us exploded, metal fragments were flying in the air,' she said. 'We felt the fire on the skin, the arm of my daughter is still red, it was horrible.' Other residents said the explosion was so loud and violent it struck nearby buildings 'like an earthquake', breaking windows and ripping off shutters. Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for those affected by the explosion, which happened 'in the heart of my Diocese'. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was closely following the developments.


The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
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