An accident at a supermarket construction site in the Italian city of Florence left at least three workers dead and two missing, local authorities said Friday.
The incident occurred when a reinforced concrete beam fell onto the ceiling of a prefabricated house, causing it to collapse. Rescue teams are currently searching for the missing workers, but there are fears that the death toll could rise.
Three workers were rescued from the rubble and taken to local hospitals. and were later reported to be in serious condition. Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region, mentioned that about 50 workers were present at the scene at the time of the accident.
#Firenze: umpteenth tragedy at the work post, crossing a concrete path for the construction of a new one #Esselunga
1 Morto and three Feriti stratti delle macerie
Soccorritori al lavoro to leave the machine for 3 people and relax pic.twitter.com/xrtqVmLMB3
— Il Politico Web (@ilpolitico_web) February 16, 2024
The supermarket under construction is part of the Italian chain Esselunga. Giani emphasized in an interview with the Italian television channel TV SkyTg24 that the situation could have been even more tragic, as a minibus with children was traveling near the area at that very moment. He added that this tragedy “forces all of us to make a strong commitment to prevent something similar from happening again.”
Two street sweepers who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident reported hearing the injured workers’ cries for help. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences via X (formerly Twitter) and said she was following developments closely “with concern.”
Italy’s three largest unions, CGIL, CISL and UIL, responded to the accident by calling for a “general strike” in Tuscany to demand improved safety measures. “No more deaths in the workplace!” says their joint statement.
According to Eurostat, the European statistical office, in 2021 Last year, as far as official data is available, Italy recorded 601 deaths at work. This figure was the second highest in the European Union this year after France.
dmr