Florence authorities are investigating the incident as manslaughter, but a suspect has not yet been identified.
advertisementThree workers were killed in an accident at a supermarket construction site near Florence, Italy, on Friday morning, authorities said.
Three other workers were injured, and two were believed to be missing as of Friday afternoon.
The accident occurred when a reinforced concrete beam fell onto the slab of a prefabricated building, causing the building to collapse.
Local authorities said about 50 firefighters were continuing to search for the missing personnel, but feared the death toll from the incident could rise.
Tuscan region president Eugenio Gianni said about 50 workers were on site at the time of the accident.
The three injured workers were pulled from the rubble of the collapsed building and taken to a local hospital. They were later reported to be in serious condition.
According to Italian media, all three injured workers are from Romania. They are reportedly 37, 48 and 51 years old.
The supermarket under construction is part of Italy’s Esselunga chain.
The construction site is currently the subject of a police investigation, and Florence authorities have opened an investigation on suspicion of manslaughter, although no suspects have yet been named.
The incident has shaken Italy, which is the latest in another high-profile fatal accident involving a worker.
Late August, 5 railway workers killed After colliding with an ongoing train at 160km/h during routine maintenance work on the railway.
According to data cited by Italian news agency ANSA, around 1,000 worker deaths will be reported in Italy in 2023.