At least one person has died after an explosion rocked a two-storey building in an Italian town. The two storey building collapsed in Porto Sant’Elpidio, a coastal town in the province of Fermo, shortly before 6am local time this morning.

A 55-year-old man who lived with his parents was killed in the explosion. Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s fire and rescue service, reported that his “lifeless body” was recovered, while his elderly parents were taken to separate hospitals for treatment. Searches are now underway to locate a missing woman whilst a teenager was rescued from the rubble.

Firefighters, using a ladder truck, also evacuated two people living in the building adjacent to the collapsed one.

According to local reports, two families lived in the collapsed building on Via Trentino, the explosion is believed to have occurred in the second-floor apartment.

Horrific images from the scene show the explosion completely destroyed the building and blew out windows in nearby shops and buildings within several hundred metres.

Initial reports suggest the deadly explosion was caused by a gas leak. An adjacent building to the one that exploded is being investigated.

Thanking the emergency services the mayor of Porto Sant’Elpidio, Massimo Ciarpella, called the incident a “terrible day” for their town.

He said: “This morning at dawn a very violent explosion destroyed a building in Via Trentino. Unfortunately there is a victim and the search is underway for a person who is currently missing. Three injured were extracted from the rubble and transported to hospitals in Torrette and Fermo.

“Thank you to the Firefighters, Rescue 118, all law enforcement, our local Police and authorities who have been working non stop since 5am this morning. It’s a terrible day for our town. Will keep you updated.”

Bern:

A co-owner of the Swiss bar ravaged by a deadly fire was charged with forgery on Friday, adding to the numerous charges she and her husband already face over the New Year disaster that killed 41 people.

Jessica and Jacques Moretti already face charges including manslaughter by negligence and arson by negligence over the blaze at their bar Le Constellation, in the Crans-Montana ski resort in the early hours of January 1.

As prosecutors questioned the French couple at an investigation hearing in Sion in southwest Switzerland, Jessica Moretti’s lawyers confirmed she faced a new charge of falsifying a document.

The charge is linked to a falsified invoice believed to be central to the case, though her lawyers said she was innocent and the document was not relevant to the case.

The invoice was for the sound-insulation foam that lined the ceiling of the bar’s basement, which prosecutors say ignited when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised into the air.

Most of those killed were teenagers, many aged 16 and under, while 115 others also injured in the blaze. 

Moretti’s lawyers said their client had willingly provided an invoice to investigators for a 2015 purchase.

“This was a real purchase that was simply recorded in the accounts under a different name,” they said, insisting that the charge was “clearly unrelated” to the tragedy. 

Lawyers for the victims’ families saw it differently.

The invoice raises “very legitimate questions”, lawyer Christophe de Galembert told reporters. “We have no answers.”

‘Playing the victim’

Speaking to reporters at the end of the 10-hour-long hearing, lawyer Yael Hayat said his client Jessica Moretti “sometimes feels that in reality, what she is being criticised for is surviving”.

Among those present at the hearing was Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, whose 16-year-old son Arthur died in the disaster.

She accused the Morettis of “playing the victim” during the hearing.

“They take no responsibility… How do you expect us, the parents, who visit our children’s graves every day, to react,” she asked.

The Morettis have been questioned twice since the criminal investigation against them was opened but not since February and never together.

Lawyers for the families complained Friday’s hearing was too late in the investigation, and that little had been done to guard against evidence tampering and collusion.

“This is a couple who share a household: it’s the Everest of collusion,” said lawyer Gilles-Antoine Hofstetter.

“There’s a strong chance their versions have been coordinated.”

Fourteen people are under criminal investigation in connection with the disaster, including several current and former local officials.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)