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Italian district attorneys investigate potential manslaughter in Eni fuel depot blast, sources say

Italian prosecutors on Wednesday opened a probe into possible murder following an explosion at a fuel depot center near Florence owned by Italian energy company Eni that killed five individuals, two judicial sources said.

The sources added that district attorneys were likewise looking to see if preventative measures versus office accidents were purposefully withdrawn ahead of Monday's catastrophe.

The entire website in the nearby town of Prato was taken by district attorneys, who are focusing their investigation into upkeep deal with the depot that was going on at the time of the mishap, the sources stated.

Eni said on Tuesday it was working together with the judicial authorities to identify the causes of the explosion, adding it was early to hypothesize about what had taken place. The company had no instant comment on Wednesday.

Cops on Tuesday searched the headquarters of the company where 2 of the victims worked in addition to numerous Eni offices, according to a search warrant seen .

A fuel spillage happened at the front of a packing shelter and it is presumed that this spillage remained in some method due to a. clear neglect for strict procedures and that the repercussions. of such criminal conduct might not have actually been known or evaluated. by the personnel operating on site, the warrant said.

A witness reported that some labourers were working on. pipelines, saw some liquid leaking, smelled a smell and walked away. to safety, according to the file.

Monday's blast took place in a filling location for tanker trucks. Authorities said the event would have had far worse. repercussions had neighboring fuel depots also ignited.

The depot covers around 180,000 square meters (1.9 million. square feet) and is connected to an Eni refinery on the Tuscan. coast. Its 24 tanks are utilized to keep fuel, diesel and jet. fuel.

Eni, among Italy's biggest energy business, has used to. repay people and services who suffered product damage as. a result of the explosion, local authorities said.

The disaster has raised more questions about workplace. security in Italy, where in 2015 1,147 individuals lost their lives. while working.

(source: Reuters)