The collapse of a building in the coastal area of Pistunina, on the outskirts of Messina, Italy, has left at least six people missing. Four of them belong to the same family, while three people have so far been reported injured, one of them seriously.
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The injured were taken to the Gaetano Martino University Hospital in Messina. The hospital has activated its emergency plan, and doctors from other healthcare institutions have also been called in. Others affected by the collapse are receiving treatment at various hospitals across the city and, according to the authorities, their conditions are not life-threatening.
Search and rescue teams have worked at the scene for hours. The area has been cordoned off and traffic suspended, while firefighters are searching the rubble for survivors. Special USAR teams, trained dogs, drones and SAF units are taking part in the operation.
Fire brigade commander Michele Burgio said the possibility of finding people alive has not yet been ruled out.
“We are still far from the critical 36-hour threshold, so there is a possibility of finding survivors. The search is being conducted according to a strategy based on the evidence gathered and the areas where the missing people are believed to be located,” he said.
The list of people still considered missing includes entrepreneur Carmelo Leone; his sisters, Sara and Rosa Leone; Rosa’s husband, Santino Magazzù; their Sri Lankan employee, Lhairu Warnakulasuriya; and Alessandra Frazzica, who worked as a sales assistant at a Chinese shop on the first floor of the building.
Relatives have asked people not to call those who may be trapped under the rubble. According to them, rescue teams are using mobile phones to determine the missing people’s locations, and calls could drain their batteries.
“I am Rosa Leone’s daughter. Mum and Dad are still missing. Please do not call them, so their mobile phone batteries do not run out, as they are essential to the search,” Clelia Magazzù wrote on social media.
The collapsed building was a well-known structure in Messina, built in the late 1980s. It had four floors, each covering about 2,500 square metres. The basement housed storage facilities, while the ground floor had been rented to a butcher whose premises were undergoing renovation. The first floor was occupied by a large shop run by Chinese nationals, while the owners’ apartments were located on the upper floors.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been determined. The Messina Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into unidentified individuals. Preliminary reports indicate that a tremor was felt before the collapse, leading authorities to rule out an explosion. The main suspicion is that the building suffered a structural collapse.
