Grant Paterson, 54, is believed to have been on a solo trip to Rome when the building he was staying at exploded – just days after he shared an eerie message on Facebook
A British tourist who is fighting for his life in Rome after his B&B exploded wrote a haunting post on Facebook about him getting “killed in some ungodly way” just days before the blast.
Grant Paterson suffered horrific burns after the three-story building was torn to pieces in the Monteverde area of the Italian capital at around 8.30am on Saturday. The 54-year-old, from East Kilbride, Scotland, was swiftly transported to Sant’Eugenio hospital after firefighters raced to the scene and managed to pull him from the rubble.
He is believed to have touched down in the city last week for on a solo trip. In a sinister foretelling after first landing at his accommodation Grant wrote: “Arrived in Rome, trains planes, buses and foot. Accommodation is beautiful. This should be a good week…..if I don’t get killed in some ungodly way….As it’s just me I’m going to sit in a different bit every day.”
Brit tourist ‘fighting for life’ after huge gas explosion reduces Rome B&B to rubble
According to local media, Grant has so far undergone an emergency surgery and is currently on a ventilator. Shocking images taken in the aftermath of the explosion shows the property completely destroyed, with rubble left scattered across the road.
The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, has ordered a full investigation to establish the circumstances behind the tragedy. The structure, formerly stables built in the 1900s and converted into homes, had also been housing the B&B Grant was staying at.
According to local reports the investigation into the incident will have to ascertain what triggered the explosion: a gas leak or a gas cylinder – and it will be necessary to understand whether everything started from the apartment where Grant was or not. In the meantime the building has been cordoned off by police.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said: “The important thing is that fortunately there are no victims, although unfortunately one person was seriously injured. Most likely he is a guest of a hospitality facility, of Scottish origin.
“We don’t know his exact condition, but he suffered burns, and this also suggests that it was an explosion caused by gas, which also causes flames. It was a very loud explosion, a building collapsed and the wall of Villa Pamphilj was also damaged.”
As a precautionary measure, the building has been cordoned off under police guard, and six apartments have been evacuated, including one in a nearby condominium that is potentially at risk, reports The Express.
It’s understood Grant was due to return home to Scotland on Monday. A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office said: “We are providing support to the family of a British national who is currently in hospital in Rome.”
As a precautionary measure, the building has been cordoned off under police guard, and six apartments have been evacuated, including one in a nearby condominium that is potentially at risk, reports The Express.
Gualtieri said: “We are carrying out surveys to evaluate and ascertain the regularity, as it currently appears, of the accommodation facility. For safety reasons, there are evacuations of the apartment buildings and buildings that may be at risk, and then there will be all the surveys”.
