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FLORENCE

British man found dead in Florence hotel named as ex-rugby league player

A man found dead in a hotel room in Florence was named by Italian media on Sunday as British former rugby league player Ricky Bibey.

The Ponte Vecchio medieval arch bridge over the Arno river in Florence, Tuscany.
The Ponte Vecchio medieval arch bridge over the Arno river in Florence, Tuscany. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.

A man was found dead on Saturday in the Hotel Continentale after a woman he was with cried out for help, according to unconfirmed media reports.

Italian news outlets have identified the victim as Ricky Bibey, a two-time Challenge Cup winner with Wigan Warriors and St Helens. Police have yet to confirm the dead man’s identity.

Super League tweeted it was “saddened to hear of the passing of Ricky Bibey”.

“We thank Ricky for his contributions to the game and send our condolences to Ricky’s family and friends during this time”.

A maid rushed in to find the 43-year old woman bleeding heavily from serious injuries, and she was rushed to hospital, La Nazione daily newspaper said.

Bibey, 40, appeared to have died of a heart attack, it said.

Other guests at the Continentale, just next to the Tuscan city’s famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, reportedly heard shouts coming from the room.

Police seized objects including items possibly used in an erotic game, La Nazione said.

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ACCIDENT

Death toll at Florence building site rises to five

Rescue teams Saturday worked to recover the body of a fifth person killed by the collapse of a supermarket under construction in Florence, as the Tuscan city held a day of mourning.

Death toll at Florence building site rises to five

The region’s president Eugenio Giani said that the final death toll stood at five after Friday’s accident, which happened as workers were putting together prefabricated concrete structures.

“We can now say there are five dead, it’s a dramatic toll,” he told Italian media.

The bodies of three construction workers were found soon after the collapse, and the body of a fourth was recovered by firefighters working through the night.

Three workers were hospitalised, two of them in a serious but not life-threatening condition.

The accident took place at the site of a new Esselunga supermarket northwest of Florence’s main train station.

Photographs released by the firefighter service showed a beam which appeared to have snapped, bringing down other concrete slabs.

Pope Francis sent his condolences Saturday and called for “greater diligence from those responsible for protecting workers”.

Italy’s newspapers regularly carry stories of workers killed on the job.

Almost 800 deaths at work were recorded in Italy last year, according to official statistics — almost 90 percent of them men, and half aged over 50.

According to European Union statistics, Italy recorded 3.17 workplace deaths per 100,000 employed people, above the bloc-wide average of 2.23 but behind France (4.47) and Austria (3.44).

Across the EU, 22.5 percent of all fatal workplace accidents took place within the construction sector.

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