DIVERS IN NORTHERN Italy have recovered the last two bodies of workers killed by an explosion that collapsed and flooded several levels of an underground hydroelectric plant, bringing the total number of confirmed dead in the incident to seven.

The explosion at the Enel Green Power plant, in northern Bologna province, happened on Tuesday at a depth of some 40 metres below water level.

Four other workers who were wounded in the massive blast are currently in hospital with two of them still in a serious condition, officials said.

Fire spokesman Luca Cari confirmed to AFP that all the workers missing after Tuesday’s explosion had now been found. Three bodies had been recovered yesterday.

The blast at the Bargi plant on Lake Suviana happened during work to increase the plant’s efficiency, the company said in a statement.

A fire broke out when a turbine exploded on the eighth floor below the surface, flooding the floor below.

The cause of the blast remains unclear, however. 

EGP’s chief executive, Salvatore Bernabei, said in an interview published today that any speculation was “premature”, saying it would take time to understand a “very complex” situation.

However, he rejected any suggestion there had been safety issues at the plant.

Speaking to Corriere della Sera newspaper, Bernabei said works to “technologically update” the plant had started in September 2022 and involved “leading companies in the sector”.

The company said earlier this week that “efficiency works” had been entrusted to three primary companies, Siemens, ABB and Voith.

The firm on Wednesday announced a €2 million fund for the urgent needs of victims and their families.

Local prosecutors have opened a probe into the accident.

As of the end of 2021, Italy had 4,646 hydroelectric plants, mainly in the country’s north, which represent more than 14% of national power consumption.

Includes reporting by Press Association and AFP