At least three workers were killed and two others are missing after an accident at a supermarket construction site in the Italian city of Florence on Friday, local authorities said.
The accident occurred when a reinforced concrete beam fell onto the slab of a prefabricated building, causing the building to collapse. Local authorities said rescue teams were searching for missing people and feared the death toll could rise further.
Three other workers pulled from the rubble of the collapsed building were taken to a local hospital where their injuries were later described as serious but not life-threatening. Tuscany President Eugenio Gianni said he had been told that about 50 people were at the site at the time of the accident, but only eight workers were caught in the collapse.
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The supermarket under construction is part of Italy’s Esselunga chain.
Gianni told Italian television SkyTg24 that the accident could have been even more tragic because a school bus carrying children was passing near the scene at the time. He added that the tragedy “will make us all more determined to prevent something like this from happening again.”
The Italian flag is seen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 25, 2016. (Photo credit: Luiz Souza/NurPhoto, Getty Images)
Two street sweepers who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident said they could hear the injured workers screaming for help.
The construction site was sealed off and officially seized by law enforcement authorities. Italian news agency ANSA reported late Friday that Florence’s public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on suspicion of “manslaughter and manslaughter,” without naming the suspect for now.
Italy’s three major trade unions (CGIL, CISL and UIL) have called for a “general strike” in Tuscany to demand stronger safety measures following the accident.
“There will be no more deaths at work,” the joint statement said, condemning the rapid increase in accidents in Italian workplaces under difficult and dangerous working conditions.
In 2021, the last year for which statistics agency Eurostat has official data, 601 workplace deaths were recorded in Italy. In the same year, it was the second highest figure in the European Union (EU) after France.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences on X (formerly Twitter) and said she was monitoring the developments with “concern.”
Esselunga President Marina Caprotti expressed sadness at the accident and said the company was ready to cooperate with magistrates to determine the cause of the collapse.
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Florence Mayor Dario Nardella declared Saturday a day of mourning in the city.
