Emergency personnel work at the scene of an explosion that occurred at the hydroelectric plant at the Suviana Dam, Italy, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Italian media are reporting that an explosion at a hydroelectric plant Tuesday in the Apennine Mountains south of Bologna has left at least three people dead and another six reported missing. The explosion occurred at the hydroelectric plant at the Suviana Dam, some 70 kilometers southwest of Bologna. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)
Fire fighters work at the scene of an explosion that occurred at the Enel Green Power hydroelectric plant at the Suviana Dam, some 70 kilometres southwest of Bologna, Italy, Wednesday , April 10, 2024. Search and rescue operations were still under way on Wednesday morning at a decades-old hydroelectric plant close to the northern Italian city of Bologna, after a devastating blast a day before killed at least three workers, injured five, and left four missing. Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Emergency personnel work at the scene of an explosion that occurred at the hydroelectric plant at the Suviana Dam, Italy, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Italian media are reporting that an explosion at a hydroelectric plant Tuesday in the Apennine Mountains south of Bologna has left at least three people dead and another six reported missing. The explosion occurred at the hydroelectric plant at the Suviana Dam, some 70 kilometers southwest of Bologna. (Michele Nucci/LaPresse via AP)
Fire fighters work at the scene of an explosion that occurred at the Enel Green Power hydroelectric plant at the Suviana Dam, some 70 kilometres southwest of Bologna, Italy, Wednesday , April 10, 2024. Search and rescue operations were still under way on Wednesday morning at a decades-old hydroelectric plant close to the northern Italian city of Bologna, after a devastating blast a day before killed at least three workers, injured five, and left four missing. Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
SUVIANA, Italy (AP) — Search and rescue operations resumed after a brief suspension on Wednesday evening at a hydroelectric plant close to the northern Italian city of Bologna, a day after a devastating blast killed at least three workers, injured five and left four missing.
Rescuers lamented increasingly harsh conditions at the site of Tuesday's massive explosion, which rocked the Enel Green Power plant at about 40 meters (130 feet) below the water level, causing flooding and the collapse of part of the nine-story underground structure.
“We are working in incredibly difficult conditions,†said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for Italian firefighters, after announcing the searches would resume after 8 p.m. and continue overnight. "Hopes of finding missing people alive are objectively thin.â€
Emilia Romagna region's vice president, Irene Priolo, said the plant's operator Enel Green Power was cooperating with rescuers to help lower the level of waters.
Experts took some samples on Wednesday afternoon to analyze the quality of the water in the lake and around the site of the explosion, to check for possible presence of oils or hydrocarbons that could harm people in the area, she added.
The level struck by the explosion was flooded by about a meter of water during searches on Wednesday afternoon, forcing divers to search amid debris in almost total darkness, firefighters said.
The blast at the Bargi plant happened during maintenance work. A fire broke out when a turbine exploded on the eighth floor below the surface, flooding the floor below, Bologna Prefect Attilio Visconti said.
According to the first reconstructions of the accident by witnesses and survivors, it happened during a testing operation that involved about 15 workers, almost all employees of three external companies hired by Enel Green Power.
An investigation into the accident was launched on Wednesday but the current conditions at the site would require some time for the probe to determine the real cause of the blast.
“It is still very difficult to define the complex dynamics of the facts ... I am here because there are still workers who need to be recovered,†said Labor Minister Marina Elvira Calderone, who visited the plant on Wednesday afternoon.
“We owe respect to the work of the rescuers, the families and those who will have the task of defining the exact picture of what happened," she added.
Enel Green Power said it was cooperating with magistrates and had a psychological support team to help the families of the victims.
Marco Masinara, the mayor of the nearby town of Camugnano, said the structure was “a historic power plant for us,†providing jobs for many families. "Our world collapsed,†he said Tuesday, adding that three of the injured were in serious condition.
The artificial Suviana Lake was formed by the construction of a dam from 1928-32 and is located in a regional park. Operator Enel Green Power said Tuesday there was no damage to the dam.
Recent accidents on worksites across Italy have fueled concerns by trade unions about workplace safety.
Two of the country’s largest unions announced a four-hour nationwide strike on Thursday, with one of them denouncing previous alerts over security conditions at the plant that went unanswered.
In another massive accident in February, five workers were killed and three seriously injured in the city of Florence.
