Carbon monoxide leak kills five at Italy care home

Five residents of a retirement home near the Italian capital Rome were found dead on Saturday after a suspected carbon monoxide leak, police said.

“Unfortunately there are five dead, then there are also five other residents in a serious condition and two care workers, a total of seven people in the hospital,” police told AFP.

The morning team of carers at the home, some 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Rome, raised the alarm after discovering 12 people unconscious.

The five surviving residents are being treated at a nearby hospital and the two care assistants have been transferred to a hospital in Rome.

They all had symptoms linked to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a press release from the Anti-Covid Crisis Unit of the Lazio region.

The statement said nine residents and three employees had tested positive for coronavirus this week and had been due to be transferred for specialised Covid-19 treatment on Saturday morning.