Grant Paterson: British tourist dies in hospital after being injured in Rome explosion
A British tourist who was seriously injured after a suspected gas explosion destroyed a three-storey B&B in Rome has died.
Grant Paterson, 54, from East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, was left severely burned following the blast in the Monteverde area of the Italian city on 23 March.
Mr Paterson, an employee with Scottish ferry operator CalMac, was pulled out of the ruins by firefighters and was taken to Sant'Eugenio Hospital for treatment.
Hospital officials told Sky News that Mr Paterson died on Tuesday morning.
Diane Burke, CalMac's chief operating officer, said: "Everyone at CalMac is distraught that Grant has passed away.
"He was a true gentleman and a credit to MV Clansman, the vessel he served aboard.
"During a distinguished 12-year career with us, he embodied the very best of CalMac and, with his larger-than-life character, he was much-loved by colleagues and passengers alike.
"Our thoughts are with Grant's friends and family at this extremely difficult time."
A post-mortem examination is set to be ordered by the prosecutor.
A criminal investigation is currently under way and is probing potential culpable disaster and manslaughter.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities."
Mr Paterson was said to have suffered third-degree burns to at least 70% of his body.
A witness at the scene said Mr Paterson was screaming under the collapsed building before being saved by the emergency crew.
A neighbour reported that the explosion made his house windows shake, while another witness thought it had been a bomb or an earthquake.
It is understood Mr Paterson arrived in Rome on 17 March and was due to return home on 24 March.
The B&B, named Mamma Roma, was on Via Vitellia in the busy neighbourhood of Monteverde, in the southwest part of Rome.
Flying debris from the explosion, which occurred at around 8.40am and led to evacuations, damaged several cars and part of the wall of Villa Doria Pamphili - a seventeenth-century villa which also serves as the representative seat of the Italian government.
Rome's Public Prosecutors' Offices has opened an investigation into the case. At the moment, it is a suspected gas leak.
A crowdfunder for Mr Paterson's family was launched following the incident, with more than £11,000 raised so far.
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