Connect with us

World

3 dead, 2 missing after construction mishap in Italy

Published

on

3 dead, 2 missing after construction mishap in Italy

An accident at a supermarket construction site in the Italian city of Florence on Friday killed at least three workers and left two others missing, local officials said.

The accident happened when a reinforced concrete beam toppled over a slab of a pre-fabricated building, which then collapsed. Local authorities said rescue teams were searching for the missing and that they feared the death toll could rise further.

Three other workers who were pulled out from the rubble of the collapsed building were taken to local hospitals and were later said to be in serious but not life-threatening condition. Tuscany region’s president, Eugenio Giani, said there were about 50 people on the site at the time of the accident, but only eight workers were reportedly involved in the collapse.

SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES PLANE HITS FENCE AT AIRPORT IN NORWEGIAN CAPITAL

The supermarket under construction is part of Italy’s Esselunga chain.

Advertisement

Giani told Italian TV SkyTg24 that the accident could have been even more tragic, as a school bus with children was passing near the site at the time. He added that the tragedy would “push all of us to commit strongly to avoid something similar ever happening again.”

The Italian flag is seen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 25, 2016. (Photo by Luiz Souza/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Two street cleaners who arrived on the site shortly after the accident said they could hear the cries of injured workers calling out for help.

The building site has been cordoned off and formally seized by investigators. Later on Friday, Florence’s public prosecutor office opened a probe, for now without naming suspects, for “culpable collapse and manslaughter,” Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Italy’s three largest unions — CGIL, CISL and UIL — called for a “general strike” in Tuscany following the accident to demand better safety measures.

Advertisement

“No more deaths at work,” said their joint statement, denouncing a surging number of accidents on Italian workplaces amid difficult and risky work conditions.

In 2021, the last year for which there is official data from the statistics agency Eurostat, Italy registered 601 workplace deaths. It was the second-highest figure in the European Union after France that year.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences on X, formerly Twitter, and said she was following the developments “with apprehension.”

The president of Esselunga, Marina Caprotti, expressed her grief for the accident and said that the company will be available to cooperate with magistrates to shed light on what caused the collapse.

Advertisement

Florence’s Mayor Dario Nardella proclaimed a day of mourning in the city on Saturday.

World

DR Congo says 1,307 Ebola cases confirmed, including 377 deaths

Published

on

DR Congo says 1,307 Ebola cases confirmed, including 377 deaths

Outbreak spreads to a fourth province, Haut-Uele, bordering South Sudan and the CAR, according to a media report.

⁠The Democratic Republic ⁠of the Congo (DRC) says confirmed ‌Ebola cases in the country have reached 1,307 and include ⁠377 deaths.

In an update issued late on Monday, the country said the confirmed cases ⁠have been ⁠recorded ⁠in three provinces – Ituri, ‌North Kivu and ‌South ‌Kivu.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

The announcement comes as the AFP news agency reported that a case has been detected in a fourth province. A source at the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) quoted by AFP said the viral haemorrhagic fever has spread to Haut-Uele, which borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Advertisement

The source said the case there was detected after an infected person travelled from Bunia, Ituri’s capital, to Haut-Uele.

That person has since died, another health source told AFP.

Authorities are now trying to trace the chain of transmission and identify contacts.

Its spread to Haut-Uele means the DRC’s entire northeast, home to about 15 million people, is now affected.

The conflict-hit province of Ituri is the epicentre of the country’s latest Ebola outbreak, its 17th, which started in May.

Advertisement

In many cases, the virus has spread at funerals, where the highly infectious bodies of Ebola victims are handled.

For weeks, aid workers, facing mistrust among local communities, have struggled to plan safe burials in affected areas to prevent contact with the dead.

In the DRC, funerals often last several days, during which family members and friends touch the body of the deceased.

Reporting from a treatment centre in Rwampara in Ituri province, Al Jazeera’s Catherine Wambua-Soi said health workers often lack sufficient equipment.

“These centres have been attacked several times. Last month, tents here were set on fire by an angry mob. Some Congolese still distrust those trying to help,” she said.

Advertisement

“They need more of everything: protective gear, medicines, rapid test kits … and body bags.”

On Saturday, the government issued a ban on public gatherings in four ⁠provinces, including the country’s capital, Kinshasa, as it continues to battle the spread of the outbreak.

That order was issued before a planned protest in Kinshasa on July 8 against constitutional reform, and opposition figures have called the ban “politically motivated.”

Continue Reading

World

Russia's ruling party runs Ukraine war veteran among lead candidates for September election

Published

on

Russia's ruling party runs Ukraine war veteran among lead candidates for September election
Russia’s ruling party on Sunday announced it would run an injured Ukraine war veteran and a television war correspondent, alongside ​the country’s foreign minister and the mayor of Moscow, as ‌lead candidates in a parliamentary election due in September.
Continue Reading

World

Gunman kills 6 at youth welfare facility in suspected child custody dispute: reports

Published

on

Gunman kills 6 at youth welfare facility in suspected child custody dispute: reports

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A suspect is in custody after six people were shot and killed Monday at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany, officials said.

The shooting happened around midday in Stade, a town of about 50,000 people near Hamburg. Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations. Five were pronounced dead at the scene, while a sixth died later at a hospital, according to The Associated Press, citing authorities.

Several others were wounded in the shooting, which may have been tied to a child custody dispute, the outlet reported.

2 PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN A KNIFE ATTACK IN GERMANY; SCHOLZ SAYS THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES

Advertisement

The shooting happened around midday in Stade, a town of about 50,000 people near Hamburg. (News5/Reuters)

Police said the shooting happened at a facility on Dankersstrasse that houses pregnant women and young mothers with children, according to The Associated Press.

The suspect, a 45-year-old man, had an appointment at the facility earlier in the day before the shooting unfolded around midday. His 3-month-old daughter and the child’s mother were safe, Reuters reported.

The suspected gunman was arrested. Police said two others were also subject to police measures on suspicion of involvement but did not provide additional details, according to The Associated Press.

CHILDREN AMONG 6 WOUNDED IN MARYLAND MASS SHOOTING AS DETECTIVES WORK TO DETERMINE WHAT OCCURRED

Advertisement

Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations.  (News5/Reuters)

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “deeply shocked” by the violence at a place meant to protect women and children.

“The horrific act of violence in Stade claimed the lives of six people today. I am deeply shaken by the extent of the violence in a place that is meant to provide protection,” Steinmeier said. 

“My condolences go to the families of the dead and injured, who must endure so much pain. My thanks go to all first responders and doctors.”

SUSPECT ‘NEUTRALIZED’ AFTER MONTREAL SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 2 DEAD INCLUDING OFFICER

Advertisement

Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. (News5/Reuters)

Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. Investigators were still collecting evidence Monday evening, Reuters reported.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Mass shootings in Germany are rare.

Earlier this year, a car plowed into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, Germany, killing two people and leaving several others seriously injured.

Advertisement

Stade Police could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending