Grant Paterson, 54, suffered severe injuries after a gas explosion at a bed and breakfast in Rome, Italy, on Saturday morning – with the three-storey building reduced to rubble
A Scottish holidaymaker is fighting for his life after a devastating gas explosion at a bed and breakfast in Rome’s Monteverde district. Grant Paterson, 54, from East Kilbride, was left with severe injuries and horrific burns as the three-storey building crumbled to pieces around 8.30am on Saturday.
According to local news site Roma Today, Grant was identified as one of the individuals caught up in the blast, he was pulled from the debris conscious but suffered third degree burns to 75 percent of his body. He is currently receiving treatment at nearby Sant’ Eugenio hospital.
Before the tragedy, he had been sharing updates of his trip on social media, with a hauntingly ironic post just days before: “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”. Images from the scene depict the B&B in ruins, with heaps of debris scattered along the street.
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Local officials, including Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, have vowed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the explosion. He commented: “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.
It’s understood Grant was due to return home to Scotland on Monday. Pictures taken from the scene showed the extent of the damage with the property completely destroyed and rubble left scattered across the road.
Grant was reportedly staying at the bed and breakfast in the building, which was originally stables dating back to the early 1900s and later transformed into living spaces. The cause of the blast is still unclear, with local media suggesting that investigators are looking into whether it was triggered by a gas leak or a faulty cylinder, and whether it originated in Grant’s apartment.
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 stated: “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”.
A representative from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office commented: “We are providing support to the family of a British national who is currently in hospital in Rome.”
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.
