Two people were killed on Wednesday when a powerful blast destroyed a fireworks factory in Sant'Anatolia di Borgorose, a town in the province of Rieti, northeast of Rome.
The victims were identified as Simone Colle, 30, a factory worker, and his mother Teresa Tozzi, who collaborated with the company. Two other workers survived the explosion, which levelled the building where pyrotechnic materials were being handled. Emergency crews including firefighters, police and bomb-disposal specialists worked through the rubble to recover the bodies.
The facility, Pirotecnica Mattei, was the site of a fatal explosion in July 2023 that killed three people: Franco Colle and his two children, Anna and Claudio, all from Avezzano.