At least 25 people injured in Rome when gas station explodes – ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
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Rome gas station blast that left at least 40 injured could have been worse, says mayor
Gas station explosion in Rome injures at least 40 people, including 11 police officers and one firefighter. Blast sent up huge cloud of dark smoke and fire that was visible from several areas of the city. Police immediately evacuated a sports center nearby, while other officers evacuated buildings on the other side of the gas station. Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for those affected by the explosion, which happened “in the heart of my Diocese’ Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was closely following the developments. The cause of the explosion could be related to a previous gas leak during the unloading phase of liquified petroleum gas at the station.
The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m. and sent up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire that was visible from several areas of the city.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said that local police and firefighters rushed to the area after receiving a report of a gas leak. Two explosions followed after they arrived, he added.
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“Local police immediately evacuated a sports center nearby, while other officers evacuated buildings on the other side of the gas station, avoiding a much more serious tragedy,” Gualtieri said.
Police said that at least 24 residents were injured, including two who were in “severe conditions,” and hospitalized at Rome’s Casilino hospital.
Eleven of the injured are from law enforcement corps — police and carabinieri — and one is a firefighter, they said, adding they are not in life-threatening conditions.
Fifteen firefighting teams were at the site trying to bring the fire under control.
Rome prosecutors have begun an investigation into the cause of the explosion, which could be related to a previous gas leak during the unloading phase of liquified petroleum gas at the station.
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The sports center near the gas station was evacuated swiftly by police following the first explosion, with several children brought to safety just in time to avoid the second.
Fabio Balzani, president of the sports center, noted that the timing of the first explosion was key to avert a carnage, as just half an hour later dozens of children would have arrived at the summer camp.
“If it had happened, as I have already told everyone, half an hour later, it would have been a catastrophe,” he said.
Barbara Belardinelli said that she and her daughter were slightly injured when they heard the first explosion and left their home to investigate before the next explosion struck them.
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“As soon as we heard the second explosion, we were also hit by a ball of fire. I thought that a car near us exploded, metal fragments were flying in the air,” she said. “We felt the fire on the skin, the arm of my daughter is still red, it was horrible.”
Other residents said the explosion was so loud and violent it struck nearby buildings “like an earthquake,” breaking windows and ripping off shutters.
Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for those affected by the explosion, which happened “in the heart of my Diocese.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was closely following the developments.
“Thanks to the rapidity and expertise shown in the first intervention to secure and close the affected area, and the speed of the rescue, it was possible to prevent this tragic event from having even more serious consequences,” Meloni said.
Rome gas station blast that left at least 40 injured could have been worse, says mayor
Explosion heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m. and sent up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire. Police immediately evacuated a sports center nearby, while other officers evacuated buildings on the other side of the gas station. Police said that at least 24 residents were injured, including two who were in “severe conditions,” and hospitalized at Rome’s Casilino hospital. Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for those affected by the explosion, which happened “in the heart of my Diocese.’’ “Thanks to the rapidity and expertise shown in the first intervention to secure and close the affected area, it was possible to prevent this tragic event from having even more serious consequences,’ Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m. and sent up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire that was visible from several areas of the city.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said that local police and firefighters rushed to the area after receiving a report of a gas leak. Two explosions followed after they arrived, he added.
“Local police immediately evacuated a sports center nearby, while other officers evacuated buildings on the other side of the gas station, avoiding a much more serious tragedy,” Gualtieri said.
Police said that at least 24 residents were injured, including two who were in “severe conditions,” and hospitalized at Rome’s Casilino hospital.
Firefighters at the scene of an explosion at a gas station in Rome, Italy, Friday, July 4, 2025. (Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via AP) Photo:
Eleven of the injured are from law enforcement corps — police and carabinieri — and one is a firefighter, they said, adding they are not in life-threatening conditions.
Fifteen firefighting teams were at the site trying to bring the fire under control.
Rome prosecutors have begun an investigation into the cause of the explosion, which could be related to a previous gas leak during the unloading phase of liquified petroleum gas at the station.
The sports center near the gas station was evacuated swiftly by police following the first explosion, with several children brought to safety just in time to avoid the second.
Fabio Balzani, president of the sports center, noted that the timing of the first explosion was key to avert a carnage, as just half an hour later dozens of children would have arrived at the summer camp.
“If it had happened, as I have already told everyone, half an hour later, it would have been a catastrophe,” he said.
Barbara Belardinelli said that she and her daughter were slightly injured when they heard the first explosion and left their home to investigate before the next explosion struck them.
“As soon as we heard the second explosion, we were also hit by a ball of fire. I thought that a car near us exploded, metal fragments were flying in the air,” she said. “We felt the fire on the skin, the arm of my daughter is still red, it was horrible.”
Other residents said the explosion was so loud and violent it struck nearby buildings “like an earthquake,” breaking windows and ripping off shutters.
Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for those affected by the explosion, which happened “in the heart of my Diocese.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was closely following the developments.
“Thanks to the rapidity and expertise shown in the first intervention to secure and close the affected area, and the speed of the rescue, it was possible to prevent this tragic event from having even more serious consequences,” Meloni said.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Storms in France leave 2 dead, 17 injured and cause parliament to spring a leak
Torrential storms in France caused two deaths, flooded Paris streets and created a leak in parliament’s roof. Prime Minister François Bayrou pointed out, looking up at the National Assembly’s leaking domed ceiling after delivering a speech on the Middle East. The assembly vice president, Roland Lescure, suspended the debate so fire officers could check out the problem. When he restarted the session about 15 minutes later, he told lawmakers that absorbent mats were used to patch up the leak.
Storms in France leave 2 dead, 17 injured and cause parliament to spring a leak
This video image provided Thursday June 26, 2025 by the National Assembly shows the assembly vice president, Roland Lescure looking up as the domed ceiling leaks during torrential storms in Paris, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Assemblée Nationale via AP)
This video image provided Thursday June 26, 2025 by the National Assembly shows the assembly vice president, Roland Lescure looking up as the domed ceiling leaks during torrential storms in Paris, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Assemblée Nationale via AP)
This video image provided Thursday June 26, 2025 by the National Assembly shows the assembly vice president, Roland Lescure looking up as the domed ceiling leaks during torrential storms in Paris, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Assemblée Nationale via AP)
This video image provided Thursday June 26, 2025 by the National Assembly shows the assembly vice president, Roland Lescure looking up as the domed ceiling leaks during torrential storms in Paris, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Assemblée Nationale via AP)
PARIS — Torrential storms in France caused two deaths, flooded Paris streets and created a leak in parliament’s roof that interrupted a prime minister’s speech.
“Have you noticed that it was raining?” Prime Minister François Bayrou pointed out, looking up at the National Assembly’s leaking domed ceiling after delivering a speech on the Middle East as a deluge fell outside, quickly inundating Paris boulevards on Wednesday evening.
The assembly vice president, Roland Lescure, suspended the debate so fire officers could check out the problem. When he restarted the session about 15 minutes later, Lescure told lawmakers that absorbent mats were used to patch up the leak.
Seventeen people were injured, one critically. The French civil defense agency said the storm, which broadly swept France after a heat wave, also cut power to 110,000 homes.
A falling tree killed a 12-year-old child in southwest France and a man died when his quad-bike hit a toppled tree in the northwest, French media reported.
Deadly blast outside Palm Springs fertility clinic was ‘intentional act of terrorism,’ FBI says
NEW: The FBI calls the car explosion an “intentional act of terrorism” NEW: The person who was killed was near the vehicle involved in the explosion, the FBI says. A vehicle exploded outside of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday morning. At least four other people were injured in the blast, which shattered windows and rained debris for blocks. The FBI says it has a person of interest in the investigation, but is not actively searching for a suspect, a source tells ABC News. official: The blast was “probably one of the largest bombing investigations that we’ve had in Southern California,” comparing it to the 2018 bombing of an Aliso Viejo day spa that killed one person and severely injured two other people. “We are heartbroken that this event claimed a life,” the American Reproductive Centers of Palm Springs says in a statement. “Violence against aertility clinic is unforgivable” and “our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected by this event”
Deadly blast outside Palm Springs fertility clinic was ‘intentional act of terrorism,’ FBI says
The FBI is calling the car explosion an “intentional act of terrorism.”
The FBI is calling the car explosion an “intentional act of terrorism.”
The FBI is calling the car explosion an “intentional act of terrorism.”
The FBI is calling the car explosion an “intentional act of terrorism.”
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) — One person was killed and at least four other people were injured after a vehicle exploded outside of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday morning, in what the FBI called an “intentional act of terrorism.”
The blast shattered windows and rained debris for blocks.
“Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, told reporters during a news conference Saturday evening. He said investigators believe the clinic was targeted.
One witness told Eyewitness News he found a camera on a tripod pointed at the blast zone right after the explosion. He turned it in to investigators.
The person who was killed was near the vehicle involved in the explosion, Davis said. However, he said authorities are still working to confirm the identity of the person who died and declined to say whether the person who died is the suspect in the blast.
“We’re not prepared to comment on that at this moment,” Davis said. “We’re not prepared to provide any additional comments on the relationship between the decedent and our person of interest.”
In response to a question from a reporter later, Davis said, “We have a person of interest in this investigation, but we are not actively out searching for a suspect.”
Firefighters and emergency crews are investigating an explosion in Palm Springs, the city confirmed.
Earlier, a law enforcement source told ABC News that investigators believe the person who died is the suspect in the blast.
The explosion in the 1300 block of Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs occurred at about 11 a.m. local time, rocking nearby buildings and leading to a fire and the collapse of a building, according to authorities. The debris field covered over 250 yards.
In the aftermath of the blast, authorities closed several streets and urged residents to stay away as investigators searched for any other explosive devices.
“We have a rapidly evolving investigation with a massive crime scene,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills told reporters during the evening news conference. “Our first priority was to ensure the safety of our community. And we were very concerned about secondary devices, and so we spent a lot of time and effort working with the bureau, as well as the sheriff’s office, clearing the entire neighborhood, making sure that there was nothing that could harm our citizens any further.”
He added, “It’ll take a meticulous effort to make sure that we get every piece of evidence.”
FBI bomb technicians are now working to determine the origin of the blast.
Davis, with the FBI, said the blast was “probably one of the largest bombing investigations that we’ve had in Southern California,” comparing it to the 2018 bombing of an Aliso Viejo day spa that killed one person and severely injured two other people.
Investigators searched a property in Twentynine Palms Saturday afternoon that was believed to be related to the suspect, sources with knowledge of the investigation said. During the news conference, however, Davis said he could not comment if the search was connected to the investigation into the explosion.
Mills, the police chief, said he is saddened by what he called “an attack on our city,” but said he is also hopeful.
The witness told Eyewitness News the explosion was the loudest sound he’s heard since he witnessed a jet crash in Tucson, Arizona, decades ago.
“Terrorism came knocking on the door of Palm Springs. We survived, and I can tell you that this city will rise,” he said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement on X stating that she had been briefed on the situation.
“Federal agents are on the ground now responding alongside local law enforcement. We are working to learn more,” she said, adding, “Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable.”
The fertility clinic near the blast, the American Reproductive Centers of Palm Springs, said in a statement that its staff members, as well as eggs, embryos and reproductive materials, were unharmed in the blast.
“This morning, an unexpected and tragic incident occurred outside our Palm Springs facility when a vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building. We are heartbroken to learn that this event claimed a life and caused injuries, and our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected,” the ARC said in a statement.
“ARC will be fully operational on Monday morning, and our team is here to answer any concerns you may have. We appreciate the incredible support from our patients and local community, as well as the swift action of Palm Springs Police, Fire, and emergency responders. This moment has shaken us-but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,’ ARC said in a statement.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was also briefed on the explosion.
“The state, through [ California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services ] , is coordinating with local and federal authorities to support the response,” Newsom’s office said in a statement.
In addition to the FBI, the ATF said it is also sending resources to Palm Springs to assist, including bomb techs and fire investigators.
Palm Springs police are expected to provide another update at a press conference scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sunday.
ABC News’ Jack Date, Alexander Mallin and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
At least 20 feared killed in militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, security sources say
The attack occurred in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic, mountainous region. A little-known militant group, the “Kashmir Resistance,” claimed responsibility for the attack. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region. The last deadly incident took place in June 2024 when nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge. The Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, since an anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989, has seen violence tapered off in recent years, but still sees occasional attacks. The latest attack came a day after Indian security agencies said U.S. security agencies have attempted to draw attention to Kashmir, likely in attempts to draw global attention to the troubled Himalayan area. The region has seen a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region, and bitter animosity between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Little-known group claims responsibility on social media
Violence will target illegal settlers in Kashmir, group says
‘Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable,’ says PM Modi
SRINAGAR, India, April 22 (Reuters) – At least 20 people were feared killed after suspected militants opened fire on tourists in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory on Tuesday, three security sources said, the worst attack on civilians in the troubled Himalayan region for years.
The attack occurred in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic, mountainous region where mass tourism, especially during the summer, has resurged as Islamist militant violence has eased in recent years.
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One security source put the death toll at 20; the second put it at 24 and the third at 26. All three spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
“The firing happened in front of us,” one witness told broadcaster India Today, without giving his name. “We thought someone was setting off firecrackers, but when we heard other people (screaming), we quickly got out of there … saved our lives and ran.”
“For four kilometers, we did not stop … I am shaking,” another witness told India Today.
The attack occurred in an off-the-road meadow and two or three militants were involved, the Indian Express newspaper reported, citing an unidentified senior police officer.
“The death toll is still being ascertained so I don’t want to get into those details,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X. “Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known.
A little-known militant group, the “Kashmir Resistance,” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change”.
“Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” it said.
Reuters could not independently verify the source of the message.
Item 1 of 6 Indian police officers stop a vehicle at a check point following a suspected militant attack, near Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, April 22, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer [1/6] Indian police officers stop a vehicle at a check point following a suspected militant attack, near Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, April 22, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
The regional government of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam is located, told its legislature this month that nearly 84,000 non-locals, from within India, had been given domicile rights in the territory in the last two years.
SECURITY MEETING
“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice … They will not be spared!” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he was rushing to Kashmir to hold a security meeting.
In Washington, the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump had been briefed on what a White House spokesperson described as a “brutal terrorist attack.”
India’s foreign ministry subsequently said Trump called Modi and “expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack.”
Militant violence has afflicted the Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, since an anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.
India revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.
That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region. The dispute has spurred bitter animosity and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have become rare. The last deadly incident took place in June 2024 when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.
Some major militant attacks during the height of the insurgency coincided with visits from high-profile foreign officials to India, in likely attempts to draw global attention to Kashmir, Indian security agencies have said.
Tuesday’s attack came a day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance began a four-day, largely personal visit to India
Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; additional reporting by Sakshi Dayal, Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Kanishka Singh; writing by Surbhi Misra and YP Rajesh; editing by Bernadette Baum, Mark Heinrich, David Gregorio and Deepa Babington
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