An explosion at Enel Green Power’s hydroelectric power plant in Bargi near Bologna, Italy, has claimed the lives of at least three workers, leaving four others still missing.
Enel confirmed that a fire erupted in one of the transformers at the plant on 9 April. According to the fire brigade, the explosion occurred at 3pm local time at a dam on Lake Suviana, which serves as the power station's water source.
Camugnano town mayor, Marco Masinara, reported that three bodies had been recovered from the scene, with four individuals still missing and three others severely injured and hospitalized. He suggested that a possible turbine defect might have been the cause of the explosion. Enel has refrained from commenting on the cause at this time.
The company has however confirmed that it has stablished an immediate fund of €2 million to allow the people impacted and their families to meet near-term, urgent needs. It said that from the start of the incident, it has worked to provide assistance to the people impacted and their families by sending a team of psychologists to the site and to the hospitals where the injured are being treated, making hotel rooms available and offering logistical support.
