By David Averre Editor
A huge explosion at a petrol station in Rome has left several people with severe burns and caused residents to flee their homes.
Shocking footage showed fires raging and a thick cloud of smoke emanating from the site of the blast – a petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) station on Via dei Gordiani in the Italian capital’s eastern Prenestino district.
The punishing explosion, which erupted around 8am this morning, levelled the entire lot.
Clips shared to social media by horrified locals showed blackened tarmac littered with debris at the scene, while a webcam feed managed to capture the mushroom-cloud-like explosion rising over the city.
Emergency services descended on the scene to find several people wounded and suffering with significant burns, though no one has yet been reported killed.
A damaged ambulance was seen charred, having been caught in the blast.
Elisabetta Accardo, a spokesperson for the Roman police, said that eight police officers were injured after arriving for rescue operations and explained that an initial explosion triggered a chain reaction.
‘There were a few chain explosions after the first one,’ Accardo told Italian state broadcaster RAI. ‘All the policemen injured suffered burns, but they are not in danger of life.’
Fire department spokesperson Luca Cari said one firefighter was also injured in the explosion, but ‘not seriously.’ Ten teams were at work on the site, he added.
Rome’s public transport agency Atac said it closed a nearby metro station following instructions from police, who were performing checks at a nearby nursery and sports centre to ensure no one there was hurt.