Italy fireworks factory explosion kills mother and son

An explosion at a fireworks factory in central Italy killed a mother and her son, firefighters and a local prosecutor have said, the second blast to hit the family-owned site in three years.

The two bodies "were found in the remains" of the facility in Torano di Borgorose, around 70km northeast of Rome, a fire brigade spokesperson said.

The Rieti province prosecutor, cited by news agency ANSA, said the victims were identified as Simone Colle, a 30-year-old employee of the factory, and his 60-year-old mother, Teresa Tozzi.

A July 2023 explosion at the same factory killed Mr Colle's uncle Franco Colle and his two children, Anna and Claudio.

The prosecutor said the blast at the Pirotecnica Mattei factory originated inside a building used for handling firework-making materials.

Images released by the fire brigade showed the building entirely destroyed.

Two other employees survived the explosion, firefighters told AFP, without giving details on their condition.

After the 2023 blast, the company's owners, Fabrizio and Gaetano Mattei, were sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, storing explosive material at an unauthorised site and labour law violations.

But the company later resumed making fireworks with a new licence.

"Given the gravity of this tragedy, we cannot accept the argument that this was just a matter of fate," local union CGIL said in a statement.

"It is essential to fully bring to light the causes of this explosion, to quickly determine all those responsible and to verify down to the last detail whether all health and safety rules were followed," the union added.

Another Mattei factory exploded in 1983, killing six people, including three members of the owners' family.