Special firemen team from Palermo sent to Ribera hospital explosion

Last Updated: March 30, 2024

L'esplosione all'ospedale di Ribera, da Palermo arriva un nucleo speciale dei pompieri

Reinforcements arrive in Ribera to ascertain the dynamics of the explosion at the Fratelli Parlapiano hospital that cost the life of a 53-year-old Romanian, Brustureanu Costica, resident in Canicattì. The Niat, the special investigative unit of the Palermo firefighters, is expected to intervene today to carry out technical checks and investigations to definitively clarify the methods by which the fire broke out yesterday evening, rendering a wing of the health facility unusable. The firefighters of Sciacca and Agrigento, during the inspections carried out, confirmed that there was no explosion of an oxygen cylinder, as it was connected to the wall. The oxygen therapy machine left in operation in the hospital room exploded when the man smoked a cigarette. The other four hospitalized patients are safe and have been transferred to another wing of the health facility.

The third floor of the building, where the Medicine department is located, has been placed under preventive seizure. This was ordered by the substitute prosecutor on duty in Sciacca, who remained on site into the night. The magistrate and the carabinieri questioned the doctor, two nurses, and the healthcare operator on duty at the time of the fire to reconstruct the events. In the coming hours, the Asp of Agrigento will have to assess the damages and quantify how much money will be needed to restore the wing of the hospital.

Meanwhile, a statement from the unions has arrived. “The tragedy that occurred inside the Fratelli Parlapiano hospital in Ribera, in the province of Agrigento, is very serious,” says Gianluca Giuliano, national secretary of UgL Salute. “A patient receiving oxygen therapy died, triggering a fire by lighting a cigarette during the therapy session. An event that highlights the safety issues within Italian hospitals. “After the dramatic fire at the Tivoli hospital, a unified resolution was approved by the Senate’s Social Affairs committee, committing the government to bringing public healthcare infrastructure up to safety standards, with particular attention to the state of the buildings. Too many hospital structures do not meet safety criteria for fires or seismic events.”