Overview
- Authorities identified the victim as Pierantonio Cianti, 71, a retired truck driver known locally as "Ciantolo."
- The explosion struck around 3:45 a.m., destroying his rented first-floor apartment on Via Garibaldi as firefighters deployed three crews, a tanker and an aerial ladder.
- Carabinieri say a voluntary gas release tied to an impending eviction is the leading hypothesis, though alternative causes remain under examination by prosecutors.
- Reported new details include a text message to the landlord shortly before the blast and the discovery of a gas cylinder and an old electric heater, with the flat now under seizure and an autopsy being weighed.
- Seven neighboring homes were declared uninhabitable, residents were displaced, and Viale della Repubblica is closed to traffic pending safety work.