World

Divers discover two more bodies in Italian hydroelectric plant explosion

The number of confirmed dead following Tuesday’s incident now stands at five.

The blast at the Enel Green Power’s Bargi plant happened during maintenance work (Antonio Calanni/AP)
The blast at the Enel Green Power’s Bargi plant happened during maintenance work (Antonio Calanni/AP) (Antonio Calanni/AP)

Divers in northern Italy have discovered two more bodies of workers who died in an explosion that collapsed and flooded several levels of an underground hydroelectric plant, bringing the number of confirmed dead to five, officials said.

The explosion on Tuesday at the Enel Green Power plant, close to the city of Bologna, occurred at a depth of some 40 metres (130 feet) below water level. The search for two other missing workers was continuing.

Divers who have been working to recover victims likened the scene to an underwater earthquake-struck building.

The blast at the Enel Green Power’s Bargi plant happened during maintenance work. A fire broke out when a turbine exploded on the eighth floor below the surface, flooding the floor below. The cause was still unknown.