The latest but still provisional toll from the explosion at a hydroelectric power plant in an artificial dam outside Bologna is three dead, five injured and four missing.

According to the latest research data, the explosion occurred at the “minus eight” level, thirty meters below the artificial dam.

Sixty firefighters are currently working at the scene of the tragic incident, many of whom told reporters that “it is a tragic sight”.

The public prosecutor of Bologna, Giuseppe Amato, stressed that after the completion of the relief operations, a judicial investigation will be launched to ascertain the causes of the explosion. “Now is the time for tears and mourning, but then we want to know what caused this tragedy,” added Emilia Romagna regional governor Stefano Bonacini.

Finally, the president of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, expressed his solidarity and condolences to the families of the victims and asked for more light to be shed on this whole affair, which cost the lives of an as yet unspecified number of people.