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One dead after early morning explosion on Elba island

One person is dead and three injured following an explosion at a building in Portoferraio, Elba, early this morning.

One dead after early morning explosion on Elba island
Firefighters amid wreckage at the scene of the explosion this morning. Photo: Vigili del Fuoco

Another person remains missing this morning as firefighters search through the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in the town of Portoferraio today.

The small port town, a popular holiday hotspot, was rocked by the loud explosion at sunrise. Firefighters arrived just before 5.00am.

The five people involved are all from the same family, firefighters at the scene told The Local.

Firefighers said the explosion was caused by a gas leak in the building.

The victim is thought to be a 68-year-old man from Liverno who had been holidaying on the island with his family. The missing person is his wife.
 

Sniffer dogs and specialist search and rescue teams have been dispatched from mainland Tuscany to help local rescuers search through the rubble.

Elba, the largest island on the Tuscan coast, is full of holidaymakers at this time of year. The island gets more than two million visitors every year, making it the second most-visited place in Tuscany after Florence.

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