A truck carrying oxygen tanks exploded in a residential area of Milan, northern Italy, on Thursday morning, injuring one person and creating large flames and a puff of black smoke, a porter told AFP. police notice.
“The hypothesis of an “attack can be ruled out,” the mayor of the Lombard metropolis Beppe Sala immediately clarified. “It’s a van that carried oxygen bottles.”
“At the moment I’ve been informed of an injured person (…) I think it’s the driver,” added the mayor, who announced he was going there. Large flames and a plume of smoke were seen at the site of the explosion, according to images continuously distributed by the news channels.
The Carabinieri spokesman confirmed to AFP that one person had been injured in the arms and legs and stressed that all surrounding buildings, including a school, had been evacuated.
The blast occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. GMT) in the Porta Romana district, setting fire to vehicles parked nearby. A building and a pharmacy were also badly damaged by the explosion.
Police, riflemen and firefighters immediately mobilized personnel. The fire was contained by 1 p.m., according to an AFP correspondent at the scene.