L'Aquila: two workers died on a construction site in Fontecchio

Two workers died and a third was pulled alive from the rubble in the collapse that occurred in a house under renovation in the hamlet of San Pio di Fontecchio, in the province of L'Aquila. The accident occurred in the afternoon on the construction site of Palazzo Paolini, a building affected by the post-earthquake reconstruction interventions of the 2009 earthquake. The firefighters, the carabinieri and the 118 health workers intervened on site and were involved in the rescue operations.

The mayor of Fontecchio, Andrea Italo Di Biase, reconstructs the first phases of the incident, reporting «They were working in this historic building in the hamlet of Fontecchio. The workers had installed webbing and guy lines. They had started cleaning and securing the outside for about ten days, and then gradually entered the building." Today the collapse: «A wall towards the road collapsed, just like that, suddenly. For years this building was waiting for interventions and nothing happened. The company, coming from L'Aquila, had six workers, who were out on the street."

Three workers were directly involved in the collapse: two died. "It's a tragedy for everyone, for those who were there and lost their lives and for the entire community", states the mayor. The exact dynamics of the failure and the causes that caused the collapse remain to be clarified. Investigations are underway. The building was seized.